Shreyas Iyer making a serious case for India captaincy: Shoaib Akhtar lauds KKR skipper for proving his worth

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has lauded Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer for his terrific leadership skills in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Iyer was roped in by KKR for a sum of Rs 12.25 crore (INR 122.5 million) at the IPL 2022 mega auction in February this year after being released by his former side Delhi Capitals (DC).

Iyer has had a fantastic start to his stint as the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders as he has already led his side to two wins in their first three games of the season. Iyer-led KKR defeated Chennai Super Kings in their opening game of the season before slipping to a defeat against RCB in their next game.

However, KKR bouncedback to winnings wayswith a comprehensive victory against Punjab Kings in their last outing. Speaking about Iyer's captaincy so far in IPL 2022, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar lauded the Team India star and said he is making a strong case for the captaincy of the Indian team in the future.

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"Iyer is not putting pressure on the IPL with his captaincy, he is making a serious case for Team India's captaincy as well. He wants to cement his place in the Indian team and lead it as well. He is proving his worth," Akhtar was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.

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Iyer was roped in as the captain of the Delhi Capitals midway through the IPL season in 2018 and has since been a revelation as a leader in the tournament. He led Delhi to their first-ever final in the year 2020 before being replaced by Rishabh Pant as captain last year which promoted him to leave the franchise.

Though Iyer is yet to be part of the Indian team's leadership group, his leadership qualities have ensured he is touted as one of the future captains of the Indian side. Akhtar wants Iyer to continue leading KKR by example and scoring runs with his bat this season.

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"He should continue to score runs and lead the team well, and I believe he will become a big brand in the near future. Rahane has to deliver. KKR should not give up on Rahane so soon. Hopefully, he will perform," said the former Pakistan pacer.

KKR will look to bag their third win of the season when they lock horns with Mumbai Indians in their next game at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Wednesday (April 06).