Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa has lauded Shreyas Iyer after the latter led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to IPL 2024 win. In the final, held in Chennai on Sunday (May 26), KKR beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets while chasing 114. With this, KKR won their third IPL title, first after 2014. With this win, many have lauded Iyer for his captaincy and the way he managed the big players of KKR such as Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Mitchell Starc, etc. After the finale, former Indian cricketer, and two-time IPL winner, Robin Uthappa made a big claim, saying Iyer can be the next Indian captain. 

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‘Shreyas Iyer has got the character and wherewithal to handle a team’

Uthappa said on Jio Cinema, “I am going to say it here. He is going to be the future India captain. I think he is next in line, maybe even ahead of Shubman Gill. He has got the character and wherewithal to handle a team. I think there’s a lot he has learnt this season. You have got to understand that he was working with Gautam Gambhir, Chandrkant Pandit and Abhishek Nayar – three very strong personalities.”

“You have to navigate your way through these strong personalities throughout the season while having your way, and learning on the run. That’s not easy to navigate through an entire IPL season while performing, giving your best and making the right calls. He has done that with utter dominance. That tells you a lot about his character and what he believes he is capable of. I think because of that, he sets himself up in the right space to be in the conversation for the next Indian captain,” Uthappa further added.

Iyer hasn’t got anything easily in recent times. He was India’s third-best batter in the ODI World Cup, at home, last year. The right-hander ended with 530 runs in the mega event, at an average of 66.25 and a strike-rate of 113.24. However, he soon got sidelined due to back issues — which has caused him to miss many international games in the past — and then lost his BCCI contract prior to IPL 2024. Iyer started this year’s IPL with injury scares but that didn’t deter his confidence as he ended with useful contributions with the bat, managing 351 runs, and marshalled his troops brilliantly from the word go.

Uthappa was all praise for Iyer for his fighting spirit and resistance. In this regard, he said, “Even after going through a lot, the back injury, the World Cup snub, not getting a central contract – a lot of conjecture about what was happening with him. He barely spoke about it, I think just before the final, he touched upon it. I think that goes to show he has got his sight clear on what he is going to do for himself and the teams he plays for. I think it’s just the beginning of the leader that we are going to see Shreyas Iyer is going to be.”

After the win in the final, Iyer said at the post-match presentation, “We played like invincibles throughout the season. There’s so much to cherish right now. It is pleasing, the performance has been flawless throughout. I am running out of words right now. We have been tremendous from game one, we stepped up today. All we demanded from ourselves was to back each other whatever the situation is.”

Iyer isn’t part of India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad. However, he has made a big statement by becoming an IPL-winning captain. The 29-year-old has made the right noise to be considered as a future Indian captain, post the Rohit Sharma-era.

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