KKR coach backs this player to become India's future captain
KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit was impressed with the leadership skills of this player and backed him to become India's captain in the future.
There are many unsung heroes in Kolkata Knight Riders' victorious campaign in IPL 2024. The players and the team mentor Gautam Gambhir have been credited for the team's brilliant performance this season. But there is one person who has worked tirelessly since the last year to make this team a formidable one.
That person is KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit. Pandit joined KKR before the IPL 2023 season. His appointment took people by surprise as foreign coaches are mostly trusted for this role. But Pandit has a fantastic record as a coach in Ranji Trophy. He is the most successful Indian domestic coach having won six Ranji Trophy titles with three different states.
Although KKR finished seventh last season, Pandit kept on believing on his principles and his partnership with mentor Gautam Gambhir worked wonders for the team.
Chandrakant Pandit backs this player to become India's future captain
During an interview with The Times of India, KKR coach Chandrakant Pandit has lauded his team's captain Shreyas Iyer for his calmness on the field. Pandit was impressed with Iyer's leadership skills and even backed him to become India's captain in the future.
“I would give a lot of credit to Shreyas. He’s been a fantastic captain, very calm and cool. He was receptive to our suggestions and handled the team well on and off the field. With KKR, he showed the qualities which make him worthy of India captaincy in the future," Pandit said.
Not only his captaincy, but Pandit was also impressed with Iyer's performance with the bat despite his removal from BCCI's annual contracts list.
“Any player would be disappointed with that (Iyer’s BCCI contract snub). However, that should not affect his performance. Whenever we would discuss anything, we would never touch upon that point. We were clear that the task at hand was more important," he said.
“I remember that he told me: ‘ Sir, I’ll prove it.’ The way he has batted in this IPL, he now seems to be a more matured, sensible batsman," Pandit added.
Shreyas Iyer missed the last IPL season due to a back injury. Before the start of IPL 2024, he was removed from BCCI's annual central contracts list. Iyer has been struggling from constant back issues since the World Cup last year and was even doubted for IPL 2024 once. But the 29-year-old made sure to lead his team from the front and played all the matches in KKR's victorious campaign this year.
Also read: 'Every Ball, 100% Intensity’: RCB Star Shares His Experience with Virat Kohli in IPL 2024
Iyer also had a good season with the bat as he scored 351 runs at an average of 39 and a strike rate of 146.86.
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