Needs a lot of guts: Shreyas Iyer reveals how Gautam Gambhir helped him become DC captain

Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer on Thursday revealed how former Delhi Capitals skipper Gautam Gambhir helped him become the captain of the franchise in 2018. Iyer, who had joined Delhi as a pure batsman, was elevated to the top job in the team after Gambhir announced his decision to step down as the captain in the middle of the IPL during the 2018 edition. Iyer said Gambhir showed much confidence in him and believed in his ability to carry the team forward from thereon. Iyer said what Gambhir did at that point of time by giving the captaincy duties to a youngster "needs a lot of guts". 

"I don't know it was a blessing in disguise or maybe a destiny, I was handed over the captaincy in the first half after the fifth game. Obviously, Gautam Gambhir is a legend. He has won two IPL trophies for KKR and he has been through ups and downs in his life but a lot of respect for him for the way he managed the team even when the chips were down. Obviously thanks to him as well the way he believed in me at that point of time and to give a youngster the captaincy and see that he carries forward the team from thereon, I mean that needs a lot of guts," Iyer said in The DC Podcast show on YouTube. 

Iyer's injury

Iyer was ruled out of IPL 2021 days before the tournament's commencement due to a horrific injury. In March, the Mumbai batsman had suffered an injury on his shoulder while playing for India in the white-ball series against England. It was later ruled that Iyer won't be taking part in IPL 2021. The 26-year-old underwent successful surgery in the United Kingdom and started his rehab in India after a few weeks of rest. After completing his rehabilitation procedure at the MCA, where he had trained assiduously for months, Iyer went to the NCA for his final fitness test, where he was declared match-ready by experts.

As Iyer remained unavailable to play in IPL 2021, Rishabh Pant was made the captain of the franchise on the back of his brilliant performances with the bat for India. Pant led Delhi Capitals very well and helped the side reach the top of the points table before the forced postponement of the tournament due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The gap of four months between the first half of IPL 2021 and the second phase gave Iyer the opportunity to make a comeback into the squad, which he did in style by scoring two back-to-back 40+ scores in the first two games he played in the UAE leg. 

Image: Delhi Capitals