Gautam Gambhir stepped down as the captain of Delhi Daredevils (DD) to make way for a young and highly-talented national player to take over the reigns of the franchise. His name is Shreyas Iyer!
The last 48 hours have been nothing short of surreal for the 23-year-old Mumbai-born batsman and part-time off-spinner. His 57 against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in a losing cause proved good enough for his step into the shoes of Gambhir, a two-time IPL-winning captain. It was heart-warming to see Gambhir acknowledge his failures and his willingness to talk about it. Gambhir is in the twilight of his career and hence he affirmed that it was an emotional decision for him to move from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to Daredevils. So, who is Shreyas Iyer and why has the Delhi camp entrusted him with so much responsibility?
Let us DECODE his rise:
Spotted by Pravin Amre: Iyer, who used to often visit Shivaji Park to play cricket, was first spotted there by former Indian national player Pravin Amre. Since then, Amre has guided and helped Iyer to climb the ladder of success.
The Other ‘Viru’: He was also compared to Virender Sehwag in his early days because of his attacking style of play. As in when he was drafted in the junior age group teams, this name stuck for some time.
Watch the Iyer Documentary by Aayush Puthran:
Father’s Dream! Documentary _ https://t.co/1ympXdHOde
#ShreyasIyer pic.twitter.com/gXe21VdtIC— Shreyas Iyer____ (@ShreyasIyer8) April 24, 2018
Off to a flyer: He made his List A debut for Mumbai four years back in November 2014, playing in the 2014-2015 Vijay Hazare Trophy where he scored a staggering 273 at a handsome average of 54.60. His Ranji debut happened a month later in December 2014.
The IPL stage: Delhi Daredevils bought him at the 2015 IPL auction for whopping Rs 2.6 crore, and he repaid the faith with interest. Opening their batting, he aggregated 439 runs from 14 matches and went to win the IPL ‘Emerging Player of the Year’ award.
Representing the UK: In 2014, Iyer represented the Trent Bridge Cricket Team during a trip to the UK. He played three matches, scoring 297 runs at an average of 99 with a top score of 171, which was a new team record.
Daredevils are currently languishing at the bottom of the IPL points table and fans would so dearly hope Iyer bails them out of their misery. They have played 6 matches, winning 1, and that does not make a pretty picture now that the tournament is almost half-way through.
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