Feel Proud Standing With MS, Virat, Rohit at Toss: Shreyas Iyer

Delhi Capitals lost to CSK in the IPL’s second qualifier, but captain Iyer said he was “Really proud of the boys”.

(Photo: BCCI)

Midway through the season last year, Gautam Gambhir had stepped down as (then) Delhi Daredevils’ captain. Instead, he had named a young Shreyas Iyer as his replacement. Then just 23-years-old, Shreyas had said “I am ready for the new challenge”, and in the successive has proved it too.

The young top-order batsman led the franchise with a new name, new logo, and new management into their first playoffs of the league since 2012. Delhi Capitals’ dream run however came to an end with a 6-wicket loss against three-time champions Chennai Super Kings on Friday, 10 May, but Iyer said he was “Really proud of the boys”.

“Loving the way we’ve gelled as a family. The coaches and support staff have been amazing. A lot more to come next season. We’ve found the base, now is the time to grow.”

“I think we’ve learned a lot, looking at seniors like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma leading their teams. It’s a proud moment for me, standing with them at the toss. They talk to me, share their experiences, and that’s great for me.”

Shreyas Iyer

Shedding more light on his experience of leading the team, Iyer said: "I've heard Rohit and many of them talk about how difficult it is to be captain, and yeah, it's not an easy job to do, but I'm happy to be the captain.

Opting to bowl, CSK first restricted DC to 147 for nine and then chased down the target with six wickets in hand to set up a clash against Mumbai Indians in the IPL final in Hyderabad on Sunday. Iyer blamed his batting department for the loss.

"We had a disappointing start, losing two wickets in the powerplay, and it was hard to recover from that. They have amazing spinners. But we've had a great season," he said.

"None of the batsmen took the initiative to take the team through and there wasn't a partnership building. Disappointing for us but a good learning."

Iyer, though, was about the pitch on offer this season at their home turf at the Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium.

"It's something to think about (the Delhi pitch). We didn't win too many home games, but we can't complain about pitches. We've been practising a lot on slow wickets. As professionals we can't give excuses," he said.