IPL 2022: Shreyas Iyer is a natural leader, says Ravi Shastri

Shreyas Iyer has impressed a captain so far.

Bengaluru, April 18: Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri believes Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer is a natural captain and it is the clarity of thoughts in the Mumbai cricketer's mind that has impressed him the most.

Shreyas Iyer was given the responsibility of leading KKR ahead of the IPL 2022 and the Mumbaikar has done it well so far.

Shastri claims Iyer will only get better and better as the tournament progresses.

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"Captaincy comes naturally to Shreyas (Iyer). Look at his aggressive captaincy, you don't feel like he's leading KKR for the first time," Shastri said on the Cricket Live show on Star Sports network, the official broadcaster of IPL 2022.

The Iyer-led KKR take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Match 31 of IPL 2022 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Monday (April 18) evening.

Both RR and KKR have 6 points each and right now they are battling the mid-tournament log jam and would require a solid run to keep their play-off berth hopes intact.

The winner on Monday will be back in the top-4 mix or at least in the vicinity of the top four in the IPL 2022.

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Shastri said Iyer has his intentions pretty clear on the field.

"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 play-offs and win the title.

I've liked the way he's spoken during the pre and post-match press conferences and that shows he's clear with his plans. I am convinced he'll go a long way," Shastri added.

Ravi Shastri has high regards for Shreyas Iyer.

Meanwhile, tormer West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop too has backed Shreyas to come back stronger after back-to-back defeats in the last two games.

The West Indian believes Shreyas possesses a good brain and also has the support of some seasoned campaigners in the KKR side.

"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 said on the same show.

"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," Bishop added.

Rajasthan Royals have faced Kolkata Knight Riders 25 times in the IPL history. The KKR have a slender edge with 13 wins against RR's 11 while one match ended in no result.

KKR had an impressive start to IPL 2022 with three wins from four matches, but the back-to-back losses had taken them down below the top-4 and they would look to regain that slot with a win against the Sanju Samson-led Royals on Tuesday.

Watch Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders telecast on Monday (April 18) from 6.30 pm onwards on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar.

The match starts at 7.30pm.