Skipper Shreyas' transformation

AT some point during the 2024 IPL final pre-game press conference in Chennai, the then Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer candidly remarked on how much credit he gets — or doesn't — in the public eye has depended on the media.

- GOMESH S @Chennai

AT some point during the 2024 IPL final pre-game press conference in Chennai, the then Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer candidly remarked on how much credit he gets — or doesn't — in the public eye has depended on the media. This was in regards to how the attention had been on Gautam Gambhir, the team's mentor at the time. "See, the hype is definitely created by you guys, I mean where I stand is definitely upon you guys," he had said, before elaborating on how critical Gambhir's tactical knowledge had been for the team.

He did not make it sound like a grievance. That was Iyer speaking his mind with little hesitation. He has always been that guy. Whether it was about the time he was removed from central contract or the time when he almost did not play the first ODI against England in Nagpur in the lead up to the Champions Trophy or the number of occasions before, after and in between these two moments... if you asked a straight question, you would get a clear, to the point answer without hesitation (there was also a time when he went off against a journalist after playing a match-winning knock against Sri Lanka at the 2023 World Cup).