Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and their work-in-progress captaincy | Cricket - Hindustan Times
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Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and their work-in-progress captaincy

BySanjjeev K Samyal, Mumbai
May 22, 2022 02:46 PM IST

The Delhi Capitals skipper, 24, and his Kolkata Knight Riders counterpart, 27, fell short of expectations as leaders with both their teams eliminated from the IPL playoffs.

As far as apprenticeships for leadership go, this Indian Premier League (IPL) was a great opportunity for Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer. Rishabh Pant, the Delhi Capitals skipper, is regarded as an X-factor player in the India set-up, pulling the strings from behind the stumps and producing explosive knocks.

Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer(IPLt20.com) PREMIUM
Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer(IPLt20.com)

Shreyas Iyer too is a dynamic batter, and Kolkata Knight Riders going for him as skipper after DC chose not to return to him last season on his injury comeback showed both are earmarked for leadership in the long term. Pant’s name was even tossed up along with that of KL Rahul during captaincy discussions, before the India selectors settled on Rohit Sharma for all formats.

There were thus high expectations when Pant and Iyer started this IPL campaign. Helping their teams to have a good season would have automatically raised their profile in the India team. At the end of their campaigns though, both would have realised that there is some way to go for them before they can be seen in the league of IPL legends MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.

Capitals and KKR were both caught short and eliminated from the play-offs, finishing fifth and sixth respectively in the points table. At the end of Capitals’ last league match on Saturday, Pant’s captaincy was in focus. It was a do-or-die game against eliminated Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. DC had to win to progress, but the ‘keeper-batter had his most forgettable outing of the season as he failed to defend 159 despite having seized control of the game.

It was an equally frustrating experience for Iyer in KKR’s final league tie against Lucknow Super Giants. KKR’s batters, led by Iyer, made a valiant bid to overhaul the target of 211, but fell short by two runs. It didn’t hide the fact that KKR failed to take a wicket in the LSG innings, Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul putting on an unbroken 210-run partnership.

Pant and Iyer did well as batters though under pressure in crucial games. But captaincy is about handling things on the field when tactical acumen and situational awareness are tested. It will take time for Pant, 24, to recover from the blunders on Saturday that allowed MI to escape to victory. Not reviewing Tim David’s first-ball nick, caught behind by Pant himself, is seen as his brain-fade moment in IPL.

“Most of the game we were on top, but on a few occasions we let it slip from our grasp. That's one of the things we’ve been doing throughout the tournament. We were not good enough to win this match I guess,” Pant said after the match.

Capitals, needing victory to seal the fourth playoffs spot, had the game in control when they dismissed Dewald Brevis at the total of 95. MI needed 65 from 33 balls when David nicked Shardul Thakur. Pant, ball nestled in his glove, went up in appeal but didn’t review when the umpire turned down the appeal. Capitals had both reviews left with 5.3 overs to go. David went on a six-hitting spree, smashing 34 runs in 11 balls. It left MI on the verge of victory and DC by the exit door.

Pant said later: “I thought there was something, but everyone standing in the circle was not convinced enough. So I was asking should we go up. In the end, I didn’t take the review.” As India stumper though, Pant has faced criticism for over-enthusiastic review calls.

DC coach Ricky Ponting backed Pant’s captaincy, saying he was the right person to lead Capitals. But he was clear Pant had bungled. He was seen having a chat with Pant immediately after the game.

“I told him I was pretty disappointed with what we served up tactically at the end of that game. The way we bowled and the fields that were set, considering the conditions and type of players at the crease, we got a lot of those things wrong. That might have been the difference in the game, that might not have been, but as I said, I was quite disappointed with the way that game finished off. I’m disappointed with the way our season finished off and that will probably leave a pretty sour taste in most of our mouths for the next 12 months, until we can get back and do it all again,” the former Australia skipper told the post-match press conference.

KKR UNDER-PERFORMED

Though Shreyas Iyer will feel better than Pant because of how KKR went about the chase against LSG in their must-win game, he will admit his side underperformed in his first season as captain, considering the players at his disposal. Iyer stepped into Eoin Morgan’s shoes and comparisons were inevitable as the team had reached the final in 2021. The England skipper did not contribute much with the bat last season but the way he marshalled his troops was a lesson to any budding captain. After starting with three wins in the first four matches, things fell apart for KKR this time. There were too many changes and they were not able to get a grip on the playing eleven. Iyer admitted as much.

After the final game, he said: “Definitely it was a volatile season for us. We started off pretty great and in between lost five consecutive games. We did a lot of chopping and changing; depending on the situation we had to make it happen because we had too many niggles and also the form was up and down. So, a lot of learnings from there. And also, we got to know pretty good players like Rinku Singh. He got an opportunity and showcased he is a quality player at this level. The vibe has always been positive in the dressing room no matter what. Ups and downs, it’s part and parcel of the game, and there was no panic button pressed in the dressing room. That’s the best thing I would say that happened this year.”

The fortunes of the two new captains would have been keenly observed, though it’s just the start of their leadership career. They sure have a lot to learn from the IPL 2022 season.

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