IPL 2022 | Ravi Shastri banks on Shreyas Iyer - 'The Captain'

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri showed faith in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer, even though the latter has failed to inspire his team in the last two matches. 

KKR marched on two consecutive wins in their initial games, but their campaign then witnessed a downslide, losing matches versus Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

However, Shastri did not read too much into these defeats and lavished praise on Iyer for his captaincy style. The 59-year-old extolled the talismanic leader, saying that captaincy comes naturally to him.

"Captaincy comes naturally to Shreyas. Look at his aggressive captaincy, you don't feel like he's leading KKR for the first time. Looks like he's been captaining them for the last 3 to 4 seasons and it is visible through his clarity of thoughts," Shastri said as quoted to Star Sports.

"His mindset is clear about what brand of cricket he needs to play as a batter. At the same time, he's aware of what he as a captain needs to do to take his team to the playoffs and win the title. I've liked the way he's spoken during the pre and post-match conferences and that shows he's clear with his plans. I am convinced he'll go a long way," he added.

Former West fast bowler Ian Bishop expects that Iyer, along with senior members' support will help KKR come back to winning ways. The cricketer-turned-commentator opined on the Indian batter and is confident that he will only get better with every match.

"I think despite suffering back-to-back defeats, it is possible for Shreyas to regather his troops and bounce back. When he became captain of the Delhi Capitals, he just got them better and better with every season," Bishop stated.

"It will take him a little settling period here (at KKR) but he's got some seasoned campaigners around him. Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are experienced players. Coach Brendon McCullum is also very experienced. So I have no doubt that Shreyas will get the guys going," he concluded.

Shreyas's captaincy will be tested again today as Kolkata Knight Riders will lock horns with Rajasthan Royals at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai.