The batter, who was purchased by KKR for Rs 12.25 crore at the mega auction in Bengaluru, told the franchise’s website that he would be coming in with a much different mindset now. He commented, “I'm now more mature and experienced in terms of my decision-making and captaincy skills. Really waiting eagerly to work with every individual in the team, and build that synergy which could really help the team perform at a different level. I'm just going to love the responsibility, and I thrive under pressure.”
The 27-year-old added that, for him, being part of the KKR family is an enormous feeling. He said that he appreciates the work done by all the great players in the past and would like to follow in the same footsteps. Shreyas continued, “Personally, I feel that I'm a player's captain and I want to create an atmosphere where all of us are thinking towards one goal, which is winning."
Asked what kind of interaction he had with New Zealand legend and KKR coach Brendon McCullum, the captain said, "Brendon McCullum as a coach I feel is very aggressive. Even when you saw him playing for his country (New Zealand), he was someone who was very aggressive and he is kind of a risk-taker."
"And I absolutely love that. Obviously, I've had few interactions with him after the auction. He's got that calm demeanor and I'm really looking forward to working with him, and to have some very successful seasons for KKR over the years," Iyer added.
The Indian batter led Delhi Capitals (DC) to their first-ever IPL final in 2020, when they eventually went down to Mumbai Indians. Iyer missed the first half of IPL 2021 due to a shoulder injury. He returned for the second half, but was not named captain as Rishabh Pant continued in the role. Iyer thus decided to head into the auction and was among the most expensive buys.
KKR’s squad for IPL 2022: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Varun Chakravarthy, Nitish Rana, Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Mavi, Sheldon Jackson, Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Rasikh Dar, Baba Indrajith, Chamika Karunaratne, Abhijeet Tomar, Pratham Singh, Ashok Sharma, Sam Billings, Alex Hales, Tim Southee, Ramesh Kumar, Mohammad Nabi, Umesh Yadav, Aman Khan
--By A Cricket Correspondent
