Former BCCI chief selector MSK Prasad has revealed that Shreyas Iyer was being groomed to become a future Indian cricket team skipper. Prasad, who served as the BCCI chief selector between 2016 and 2020, said that Iyer caught their eye while captaining the India A side.
“If you go back to the stats, in the last two years, when we were at the helm, Shreyas Iyer led the side (India A). I think out of the 10 series that India A played, we won 8. In the majority of those series, Shreyas led the side. He has been in and around as captain. He has been groomed for that particular slot,” Prasad said.
Prasad also said that Iyer was considered to be a top contender for India captaincy after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. “We felt that post Virat, post Rohit Sharma, you needed someone to lead the side that’s when we started thinking about Shreyas Iyer or Rishabh Pant. But even ahead of Pant, was Iyer as a captain,” he added.
Iyer has been impressive as the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Prasad believes that Iyer is maturing into a very good leader. “He is slowly maturing into a very good leader. It’s very important at the start of your captaincy career to have good team management. That’s what he’s getting from KKR. He is young, and they are going to invest in him. In the next two or three years, we will see Shreyas evolve into a wonderful captain,” Prasad said.
Iyer has not been included in the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. However, Prasad believes that Iyer is still a future captaincy prospect for India. “He is a very good player. He has got all the shots. He is a very good fielder. He is a very good runner between the wickets. He is a complete package. He is a future captain of India,” Prasad said.
