'We have had meetings at Delhi Capitals where we didn't call Shreyas Iyer' - Mohammad Kaif
Delhi Capitals' assistant coach Mohammad Kaif has revealed that the team management had meetings during the Indian Premier League (IPL) where the captain Shreyas Iyer was not invited. He explained that it was because the relatively new skipper did not want to get too involved in discussions and just wanted the relevant information.
Mohammad Kaif spoke in glowing terms about Shreyas Iyer as a player and highlighted the Delhi Capitals' contribution in the latter's growth during an interaction with Aakash Chopra on the latter's YouTube channel.
Aakash Chopra asked Kaif's opinion about Shreyas Iyer, who seems to have improved his game by leaps by bounds since taking over the captaincy of Delhi Capitals.
The former Indian middle-order batsman responded that he was a huge fan of Shreyas Iyer and opined that the latter has gotten the opportunity to play for India when he is at the top of his game.
"I am a huge fan of Shreyas Iyer. Firstly he has come out of domestic cricket, having played many years there. He has not got an opportunity too quickly for India."
"He has played IPL for a number of years, scored many runs, then only his name came. His name has come at the right time because he is hungry. He is bored of playing domestic cricket and wants to play for India."
Mohammad Kaif added that captaining in the IPL had given Shreyas Iyer a greater sense of responsibility, while also claiming that the Indian team would not get a better batsman than the Delhi Capitals skipper for the much-discussed No. 4 slot.
"He is mentally very sorted, has a great understanding of his game and his role. He doesn't get angry easily and thinks a lot before speaking. He has gained a lot from captaining in the IPL because you learn to take responsibility."
"Since he has become captain, he has become a better player. India will not get a better player than Shreyas Iyer at No.4."
Mohammad Kaif on the evolution of Shreyas Iyer after becoming a captain
Aakash Chopra further asked Mohammad Kaif if he felt that Shreyas Iyer was following in the footsteps of Rohit Sharma, who also matured a lot after being made the captain of Mumbai Indians.
Kaif acknowledged that captaincy has played a significant role in Shreyas Iyer's growth, while also revealing that there have been team meetings when the latter was not invited since he did not want to be too involved in discussions.
"Captaincy made a huge difference. You won't believe we have had a lot of meetings where we didn't have the captain, we did the meeting and didn't call the captain."
"Because he doesn't like to talk too much. He knows about his game, he takes a little bit of information but doesn't go too much in depth. So, we all understand that he is not a captain who should be made to sit and lectured for two hours."
Mohammad Kaif added that the team management understood Shreyas Iyer's mode of working and tried to assist him as much as possible.
"We figured out that we need to give him a little freedom and let him focus on the game. Whatever load we can take from outside, we will take. Whatever information Shreyas Iyer needs, he will take from us."
Kaif observed that captaincy is helping Shreyas Iyer come out of his comfort zone, which would stand him in good stead for the future.
"He is gaining a lot from that because he is coming out of his comfort zone. When you are the captain, you also need to carry the team. He was not used to that but in the IPL he got himself out of that comfort zone."
"Apart from a player, he is also becoming a better captain. He will benefit a lot from this in the future."
Shreyas Iyer led the Delhi Capitals to the playoffs in IPL 2019, the first time they managed to do since the 2012 edition of the tournament.
The middle-order batsman has made a great start to his ODI career, having scored 748 runs in 18 matches at an average of 49.86 along with a strike rate of 100.80. He has given early indications of cementing the often-discussed No. 4 spot in the Indian batting lineup.