In the first match since stepping down from captaincy, veteran India opener Gautam Gambhir had been omitted from the playing XI. However Newly appointed Captain Shreyas Iyer said that it was Gambhir own decision to sit out the game and not one of his first calls on donning the captain’s hat.
In his first game as captain, Iyer played a match-winning 93 off just 40 balls against KKR as Delhi registered only their second win of the tournament and remain seventh on the table.
“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. 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” Iyer said after the match.
“It’s just that we got a good start. Everyone was aware of what they had to do and contributed really well. It was a team effort. It wasn’t an individual game. Everyone stepped up to the mark and started taking responsibility,” he added.
The former KKR captain Gautam Gambhir stepped down as captain of Delhi on Wednesday which he announced in a press conference alongside with coach Ricky Ponting, the franchise’s CEO Hemant Dua and Iyer.
