"He has got all the qualities of being a good leader of the Indian team" - Abhishek Nayar on Shreyas Iyer 

Former all-rounder Abhishek Nayar has opined that Shreyas Iyer is a genuine candidate to lead the Indian side in the coming years. Team India are embracing a transition in leadership with Rohit Sharma approaching the twilight of his career. While Hardik Pandya is primed to take over the T20I side, the fate of the other formats remains hazy.

Shreyas, who currently leads the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), has amassed significant leadership experience, primarily through the Indian Premier League (IPL).

He previously took over Delhi Capitals' (DC) captaincy from Gautam Gambhir midway through the 2018 season and led the franchise to their first-ever IPL final in 2020.

Stating that Shreyas is a natural leader who allows the players to express themselves on the field, Nayar said in an interaction with the Times of India:

"Shreyas is a very natural leader. We have seen him leading the teams in IPL. He led Delhi Capitals and now Kolkata Knight Riders. At a young age, he is someone who is being able to take the mantle of the captain and still able to perform with the bat as well. This is something that makes him a special kind of leader."

Touting him as a potential India captain in the near future, the former all-rounder said:

"He is the kind of captain who lets people be, who lets people play the cricket the way they want to play.He is very tactical and thinks really hard about the game. He analyses the game and is someone who not just works on his game but also helps his teammates get better."

Nayar, who works with Iyer at KKR as the assistant coach, continued:

"Post the Rohit Sharma era, Shreyas is a great candidate (for captaincy). He has got all the qualities of being a good leader of the Indian team."

Shreyas also led Mumbai during the 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He was also named captain of the India 'B' side in the 2018-19 Deodhar Trophy.

The right-handed batter has more or less sealed his position in the batting order in ODIs and Tests. He was Team India's leading run-scorer across all formats, eclipsing Suryakumar Yadav during the recent tour of Bangladesh.

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"I don't see any reason why Shreyas Iyer shouldn't be in the Indian side for the 50-over World Cup" - Abhishek Nayar

Shreyas Iyer, despite his perennial short-ball concerns, has made serious strides in his ODI career. He has been a solid prospect at No. 4 for Team India in the recent past and could well go on to seal the position in time for the 2023 ODI World Cup in the October - November window.

The right-handed batter currently holds an average of 48.03 after 35 innings in the format. Opining that Shreyas Iyer has a solid chance of featuring in the 2023 ODI World Cup, Nayar said:

"I don't see any reason why Shreyas shouldn't be in the Indian side for the 50-over World Cup. He has been the most consistent batsman for India in ODIs in the past 12-18 months. He is someone who has churned out runs in all conditions. The role Shreyas should be given is to come in and bat at No. 4 and take the game from there."

The talented batter will next be seen in action during the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, beginning on January 10. It is to be noted, he was not selected for the ongoing T20I series.

Is Shreyas Iyer the right candidate to hold the No.4 position in ODIs? Let us know what you think.

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