The resumption of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2021 sparked a heated debate among Delhi Capitals fans about their captain. Because Shreyas Iyer was expected to miss the entire season owing to a shoulder injury, Rishabh Pant was chosen, captain. Despite the fact that Iyer was fit to play in the UAE leg of the season, Pant kept the lead.
With the return of Shreyas Iyer for the remainder of the Indian Premier League 2021, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates, things might have gotten a lot more complicated for the Delhi Capitals. DC had to decide whether to keep Rishabh Pant as captain for the rest of the season, given he had led DC to the top of the standings before the tournament’s suspension, or return command to Iyer. At the end of the day, it was decided to keep Pant as captain.
Shreyas Iyer on Captaincy
Since Iyer was ruled out of the season, the franchise gave Pant sole command of the team for the 14th season of the league. However, because the IPL season was split into two halves owing to the Covid-19 debacle in India, Iyer was able to play in the second half of the season, but not as a captain. On Wednesday, when DC started their season against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Iyer finally spoke out about the captaincy situation in the club.
“When I got the captaincy, I was in a different frame of mind. My decision-making and temperament level was really good. It really helped in the last two years. But obviously, this is part of the decision-making from the franchise. I respect the decision they have made to continue with him (Pant) as captain,” Iyer said.
Iyer accepted the decision taken by the DC team’s management with respect. In fact, the 26-year-old complimented Pant on how he has led the club.
“As for Rishabh Pant, he is leading really well from the start of the season. That’s why the decision-makers took the call to let him continue till the end of the season. I completely respect it. There is no drastic change as such and it isn’t like I am focusing even more than before on my batting. As captain, I like to soak in the pressure. With pressure comes challenges, and my mindset is such that I perform well in pressure situations,” Iyer added.
