table of contents
Shreyas Iyer has come under immense pressure as he is still looking for his first win as India’s T20I captain. India’s four consecutive defeats under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer have drawn heavy criticism from across the cricket world, with many already questioning whether he is the right man for the job. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer’s sister indirectly targeted MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma with ‘best captain’ comment.
But now former South African captain AB de Villiers has come out strongly in support of the Indian captain. The veteran batsman believes that people are judging Iyer too quickly. Iyer took over as India’s full-time T20I captain ahead of the white-ball tour of Ireland and England.
AB de Villiers urges India to show patience towards Shreyas Iyer
This was a big opportunity for him after enjoying a successful captaincy career in IPL and domestic cricket. However, his journey as India captain has not started the way he wanted. India first suffered an embarrassing 2-0 defeat in the T20 series against Ireland and then struggled again during the ongoing five-match T20 series against England.
After four consecutive defeats, many have questioned some of Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy decisions and BCCI’s call to make him the captain. However, AB de Villiers has stressed that no captain should be judged after just a few matches, and that Iyer should get a fair chance to show what he can do before anyone decides whether he is successful or not. He urged Iyer to be patient.
De Villiers said on his YouTube channel, “Shreyas is just starting out. Give him a break. Give him a long time to prove whether he is the right guy or not. You don’t need one loss or one win to prove that you are a good player or captain.”
De Villiers says it is unfair to compare Rajat Patidar with Shreyas Iyer
The great South African batsman also said that he has always liked Iyer’s leadership style as he remains calm even in difficult situations and this is one of the biggest qualities of a good captain. He believes that Iyer can become a successful captain if the team management continues to support him.
During the same discussion, de Villiers was asked whether Rajat Patidar is a better option, as he has already impressed everyone with his captaincy for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL. Although the Proteas praised Patidar’s leadership skills after leading RCB to two consecutive IPL titles, he stressed that it would not be fair to compare him with Iyer at this stage.
De Villiers further said, “I think Shreyas should get some time. As a captain in the IPL, I always like him because of his calm nature. I don’t think in any way that Rajat (Patidar) can’t do it. I think maybe he is a legitimate guy to take India forward in the future. But to give Shreyas one or two or three games and say, “No, no, no, he is not that guy” would be unfair.
Shreyas Iyer deserves an extended period: AB de Villiers
The RCB icon has insisted that Iyer should be allowed to continue as India captain without facing unnecessary pressure and suggested that Patidar should focus on winning a third IPL trophy in 2027. Meanwhile, where did Sanju Samson fail? Ravichandran Ashwin gave a stern warning to Gautam Gambhir and the selectors.
He signed off by saying, “Iyer has been selected now, and I think he deserves an extended period, even though I absolutely love Rajat. Let Rajat focus on RCB winning more trophies for now. Three in a row would be nice, and then we can maybe talk about the India captain.”