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“The Respect For Him…”: When Gambhir Drops Himself From Delhi XI, Wins Iyer’s Heart

Poulomi Chakraborty

Shreyas Iyer And Gautam Gambhir In Delhi Daredevils' Jersey (Source: @Rajiv1841/x.com) Shreyas Iyer And Gautam Gambhir In Delhi Daredevils' Jersey (Source: @Rajiv1841/x.com) 

Despite delivering a promising performance over the past few years, especially in the white ball format, Shreyas Iyer has been snubbed from Team India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad. His omission has sparked debate, with fans and experts alike questioning the team's management’s surprising decision.

After the middle-order batter failed to retain his place, head coach Gautam Gambhir faced harsh criticism. But there was a time in 2018, Gambhir dropped himself from Delhi Daredevils’ (now Delhi Capitals) playing XI, and Iyer was handed over the captaincy.

When Gambhir’s Generous Step Earns Iyer’s Support

After winning IPL trophies for the Kolkata Knight Riders, Gautam Gambhir headed to the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), and Shreyas Iyer was just another promising youngster in the side. As Gambhir was leading the side but struggling with his off-form, he decided to step down from his role, and Shreyas Iyer handed over the big role.

Taking the role being a 23-year-old promising youngster, Iyer became the youngest ever captain of the franchise. In Iyer’s debut game as captain, Gambhir dropped himself from playing XI due to his poor form, and after the win, Iyer revealed it was Gambhir’s own call, as quoted by Cricbuzz.

“I didn't make any call, to be honest. It wasn't my decision to drop him. He himself decided to sit out, which was really courageous decision with him being the captain in the previous matches,” he said.


“The respect for him has gone really high. It's really [good to] see when a captain, if he's not playing well, he backs out. Colin [Munro] came in and gave us the desired start,” he added.

Just after taking charge, Shreyas Iyer raised his bat on high. After Prithvi Shaw and Colin Munro gave a promising start, Iyer played an incredible knock of 93 runs in mere 40 deliveries. That knock helped the side to put on a strong total, and they defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders by 55 runs. With that, Captain Iyer’s journey started on high.