"Looking forward to Shikhar Dhawan taking all the tough decisions in Sri Lanka" - Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer is looking forward to seeing his Delhi Capitals teammate Shikhar Dhawan marshall the young Indian side on their limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka.
India will play three ODIs and three T20Is against the island nation, starting on July 13. Shikhar Dhawan will become India's 24th ODI captain.
Speaking in an interview with The Grade Cricketer's YouTube channel on Monday, Shreyas Iyer said that although he hasn't seen much of Dhawan in the role before, he believes the opening batter could be a 'really good' leader.
"He's a very funny guy and a really good captain. I haven't seen him captaining before, only in one series I guess, against Bangladesh, that was for India 'A' as well. I'm really looking forward to Shikhar being captain and taking all the tough decisions out there."
Shikhar Dhawan hasn't captained the senior team before, but he has a fair amount of experience leading Delhi's state teams, India 'A' sides and even in the IPL.
The 35-year-old has led the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 10 games, winning four and losing six.
"Rahul Dravid gives you a lot of freedom as a captain" - Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer also spoke about Rahul Dravid, the head coach for the Sri Lanka tour. He recalled his own experiences with the batting legend and expressed a firm belief that the young team will have a 'blast' under his tutelage.
"I am fairly sure that everyone will get a good amount of chances to play in Sri Lanka even though we are around 20 who have gone to play. Playing under Rahul Dravid has been a great experience for me as well in the past.
"I feel he's an amazing coach, I have played under him in India 'A' and also captained under him. He gives you a lot of freedom as a captain and as a player, he gives you a lot of opportunities. He doesn't put a lot of pressure on you.
Shreyas Iyer added:
"I feel all the players going to Sri Lanka will have a blast with him being the coach and Shikhar Dhawan being the captain."
Shreyas Iyer would have been ahead of Shikhar Dhawan in the pecking order to captain the team in Sri Lanka, but he's currently recovering from a shoulder injury.
He has, however, confirmed that he'll be back in action for the Delhi Capitals when IPL 2021 resumes in the UAE.