Shreyas Iyer-led teams have reached IPL final two times in the last four years. But the Kolkata Knight Riders skipper has little qualms about not being celebrated enough as a leader and ceding spotlight to their mentor Gautam Gambhir. (Full Coverage | More Cricket News)
Iyer had led Delhi Capitals to the IPL title clash in 2020 before guiding KKR to this edition바카라s summit match against Sunrisers Hyderabad to be played here on Sunday.
Asked if he feels that his achievements as a leader haven't received enough traction, the straight-talking Mumbaikar replied sharply.
바카라The hype is definitely created by you guys (media). Where I stand (as a skipper) is definitely on you (to decide),바카라 Iyer replied to a query from PTI during the pre-match conference here on Saturday.
On Gambhir's contribution as the mentor, Iyer termed him as one of the finest readers of the game in T20 format.
바카라About 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.바카라
Iyer seemed confident that KKR would come up trumps against SRH with Gambhir offering his invaluable inputs from the dug-out.
바카라Hopefully, we keep continuing with the same momentum with his knowledge.바카라
The last six months has been quite a roller-coaster journey for the stylish right-hander, whose initial reluctance to play red-ball domestic cricket saw him lose the BCCI central contract.
Iyer did come back and play the Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha where he scored a 95 in the second innings.
The 29-year-old had a middling IPL so far and also wasn't remotely in contention for a berth in the T20 World Cup side.
The scars have not healed, and were evident when he spoke about how people didn't believe him when he talked about his struggles with a back injury, which seemed to have resurfaced.
바카라I 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,바카라 said Iyer, who has scored more than 4000 runs in 124 games across three formats.
For Iyer, it was important to stay focused on the job at hand rather than thinking about what all had gone wrong.
바카라When 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,바카라 he added.
Iyer had pulled out of the England Tests at home after the first two games and once he started training for the IPL.
Unlike others who loosely use the word adjustment and adaptability, Iyer admitted that it was easier said than done.
바카라The 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.바카라
While Iyer did have a torrid time during February-March, he gradually started to get over his concerns about national selection once he appeared for Mumbai in the Ranji final.
바카라We 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,바카라 said Iyer, who headlined his team's chase in the Qualifier 1 against SRH with a well-timed unbeaten 58.
바카라All I did was stay in the present and not think about what was going to happen to me or was worried about the selection process.
바카라I just wanted to come and participate and play to the best of my abilities,바카라 he stated.
