Star batsman Shreyas Iyer has been named as the new ODI captain of the India National Cricket Team by the former cricketer Manoj Tiwary.
Manoj Tiwary said that Shreyas Iyer is the perfect candidate to succeed Rohit Sharma and took a dig at the India head coach Gautam Gambhir for denying the credit that the star batter deserved after steering the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to IPL 2024 triumph.
Shreyas Iyer has also won a trophy for Mumbai – Manoj Tiwary
The modern-day legend Rohit Sharma is 38, and he is not getting any younger. He is currently active in international cricket only as an ODI player, having retired from T20I cricket in 2024 and Test cricket in 2025.
He has time and again expressed his desire to get his hands on the ICC ODI World Cup title, and the next such tournament is scheduled to be held in 2027.
However, by that time, Rohit will be 40, and multiple reports have claimed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the team management aren’t keeping him in the plans for the next World Cup.
Also, reports claimed that the upcoming ODI series in Australia could be the last for Rohit Sharma, and Iyer could pip vice-captain Shubman Gill to become the new ODI skipper. However, the BCCI secretary denied the reports of Shreyas Iyer being considered for the role.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Crictracker, Manoj Tiwary backed Iyer to replace Rohit Sharma at the helm in ODI cricket. He said:
“After Rohit Sharma, obviously, I would say Shreyas Iyer, because the way he has led, wherever he has led in franchise cricket, I have not seen him in first-class cricket, but he has also won a trophy for Mumbai in domestic cricket as well.”
I felt he should also have got recognition – Manoj Tiwary
The former India batter added that Iyer has evolved as a captain over the years, and he leads from the front, alongside being a tactical genius. He stated:
“But when I was doing commentary, I observed the evolution of Shreyas Iyer as a captain. He is one of those who lead from the front, he scores a lot of runs, and he makes great decisions on the field, which is a must for a good captain. He has done that successfully, as we saw during his KKR tenure.”
Manoj Tiwary further stated that Gautam Gambhir‘s PR machinery blocked the credit that Shreyas Iyer deserved after leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to IPL 2024 triumph. He felt that the narrative was created that Gautam Gambhir, who was the team’s mentor, was solely responsible for KKR’s win, and the rest of the support staff and the skipper were denied credit.
“In 2024, KKR emerged as champions under his captaincy, but he didn’t get the credit he deserved. The PR machinery worked in such a way that the credit was given to only one individual in the team. I felt he should also have got recognition, along with Chandrakant Pandit and Bharat Arun. They were the supporting staff, while he was the leader making the calls on the field,” Tiwary added.
So there will be a fight – Manoj Tiwary
In the end, Tiwary stated that Gautam Gambhir likes Gill more than Iyer and there will be a fight between the two players for India captaincy.
“I feel Shreyas Iyer will eventually lead Team India, and he will lead for a long period of time. But at the same time, he will be fighting this captaincy battle with Shubman Gill because the current coach, Gautam Gambhir, likes Shubman Gill more than Shreyas Iyer. So there will be a fight. But let’s see what the future unfolds for all of us,” he said.