Kolkata Knight Riders opening batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz believes Shreyas Iyer will be a good captain for India. Gurbaz reckons Iyer can lead the national team as he has the experience of captaining in the IPL. Iyer has led Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
The right-hander also led the Delhi Capitals to the final of the Indian Premier League in the 2020 season but the team could not cross the last hurdle against Mumbai Indians. However, he missed the 2023 edition of the tournament due to injury for KKR as Nitish Rana led in his place.
After regaining full fitness, Iyer has been added to India’s Asia Cup squad and he will look to hit the ground running on his return. Iyer has shown great leadership skills and he has been touted as the next Indian captain for all three forms of the game.
“Hopefully, he (Shreyas) will become a good captain. He will be a good captain because he leads a team (KKR) in the IPL. The IPL is the biggest competition in the world. If he can lead a team in the IPL, he can lead any team in the world. India also. Rohit is there right now. India’s cricket quality is of a high level. If Shreyas leads a team in the IPL, that means he is good (as India captaincy material). There are a lot of players who didn’t get a chance to lead teams in the IPL. He got the chance which means he is a good captain. I am sure he will be a good captain for India,” Gurbaz told TimesofIndia.com.
Gurbaz, who impressed in IPL 2023 for KKR, scoring 227 runs in 11 innings, added he is really happy for Iyer as he is making a return to the team after a long time due to injury.
“I am really happy for him (Shreyas). After a long time, he has made it to the team. He is a key player. He is a very good player. That’s why he has been picked in the Indian side. He deserves it. We play together at KKR. He is a very good man. He is a very good captain, a young captain. He is young and dynamic,” Gurbaz added in the interview.
India will begin their Asia Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele on September 2.
