Shreyas Iyer Opens Up On His IPL Leadership And Personal Cricket Journey

Shreyas Iyer-led teams have reached the IPL final twice in the last four years. However, the Kolkata Knight Riders skipper remains unperturbed about not receiving enough recognition as a leader, often ceding the spotlight to their mentor, Gautam Gambhir.

Iyer led Delhi Capitals to the IPL title clash in 2020 before guiding KKR to this edition's summit match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, scheduled for Sunday. When asked if he feels his achievements as a leader haven't received enough attention, Iyer responded sharply, "The hype is definitely created by you guys (media). Where I stand (as a skipper) is definitely on you (to decide)," he told PTI during the pre-match conference on Saturday.

On Gambhir's contribution as a mentor, Iyer praised him as one of the finest readers of the game in the T20 format. "About Gautam bhai, I feel he has got immense knowledge about how the game is played. He has won two titles previously with KKR, and his strategies have been spot-on in terms of what execution we have to make against the opposition," Iyer said.

Iyer expressed confidence that KKR would succeed against SRH with Gambhir offering his invaluable inputs from the dugout. "Hopefully, we keep continuing with the same momentum with his knowledge," he added.

Challenges and Comebacks

The last six months have been challenging for Iyer. His initial reluctance to play red-ball domestic cricket led to him losing the BCCI central contract. However, he made a comeback by playing in the Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha, where he scored 95 in the second innings.

The 29-year-old had a middling IPL season and wasn't in contention for a berth in the T20 World Cup side. The scars from these setbacks were evident when he spoke about his struggles with a back injury. "I was definitely struggling after the World Cup in the longer format. When I raised my concern, no one was agreeing to it. But, at the same time, the competition was with myself," said Iyer, who has scored more than 4000 runs in 124 games across three formats.

Focus and Strategy

For Iyer, staying focused on the job at hand was crucial. "When IPL was approaching, all I wanted was to put my best foot forward. Whatever planning and strategizing we did before it and executing it to the best of our abilities, and that's where we are right now," he added.

Iyer had pulled out of the England Tests at home after the first two games and started training for the IPL. He admitted that transitioning from red ball to white ball cricket is challenging for both batters and bowlers. "The transformation from red ball to white ball is difficult as a batter and also as a bowler. So, it was difficult at the start, but once you get used to it, you pick up the pace and match on with the other players," he explained.

Recent Performances

While Iyer faced difficulties during February-March, he gradually overcame his concerns about national selection once he appeared for Mumbai in the Ranji final. "We won the final. I was a part of the team and also contributed in the final. It gives me immense pleasure to be playing so well in the last few months," said Iyer, who headlined his team's chase in Qualifier 1 against SRH with an unbeaten 58.

"All I did was stay in the present and not think about what was going to happen to me or worry about the selection process. I just wanted to come and participate and play to the best of my abilities," he stated.