Chandrakant Pandit calls Shreyas Iyer ‘special captain’ and hails Ajith Agarkar’s decision
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Former Vidarbha and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Chandrakant Pandit has welcomed the appointment of Shreyas Iyer as India’s new T20I captain. He said Shreyas Iyer has always impressed with his leadership and batting ability, both in domestic cricket and in the IPL.
Iyer recently replaced Suryakumar Yadav as India’s T20I captain when the selectors announced the T20I squads for the tours of Ireland and England as well as the 2026 Asian Games.However Iyer’s first T20I appointment as captain is likely to be delayed.
Chandrakant Pandit strongly welcomes Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy for India
Ahead of his Ireland captaincy debut, Chandrakant Pandit emphasized that Shreyas Iyer fully deserved the role after waiting patiently for his opportunity. The former Mumbai coach also noted that the right-hander has continued to score despite missing opportunities in the past and everyone has simply called for his inclusion in the national team.
However, the Mumbaikar had to wait for a couple of seasons before finally getting the recognition he deserved. He also praised Ajith Agarkar and the selection committee for showing faith in Iyer as he was happy that after a long wait, his time had finally come.
Chandrakant Pandit said on Revsportz: “I would say getting Shreyas Iyer as captain in the Indian team is absolutely appropriate because I have seen him not only at Kolkata Knight Riders, but I have also seen him during my time with the Mumbai team as a coach. And he always shows that skill, ability and stuff; I think he is a great player. And he has scored runs, a lot of runs.”
He added: “And then he was appointed, not only included in the team, but appointed as the captain of India, which I would say is a very good decision. Chairman Ajith Agarkar and the whole committee, I would also be very grateful for that decision.”
Pandit talks about Shreyas Iyer’s ability to manage people and his great strength as a captain
The former KKR coach also said that Shreyas Iyer’s biggest strength as a captain is his ability to understand match situations quickly and take fearless decisions without hesitation. Not only Pandit, The co-owner of PBKS was very impressed with Shreyas Iyer and made a big prediction.
The pundit added: “Well, he understands the situation very quickly. And he also has such a fearless approach to making a decision. I mean, he doesn’t hesitate to make a decision. That’s a quality from a captain that’s necessary. Because, you know, nobody’s perfect on the field. But to understand that situation quickly and then assess and make a decision, it also takes courage.”
🚨Exclusive: “Shreyas Iyer is a fearless captain. He played a big role in KKR winning the title. He is never afraid to take tough decisions.”
“Vaibhav Suaryavanshi is young. As a coach, you have to manage him a little bit differently. You have to resort to a little bit of a soft touch to let… pic.twitter.com/L2wrEJ0Cbs
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) June 12, 2026
When asked about his people management skills in terms of working with superstars, Pandit hailed Iyer’s calm and simple leadership style. He said that Shreyas never creates unnecessary problems and his only expectation from every player is just 100% dedication and effort on the field.
The former coach went on to point out: “He’s never had a problem because he’s always, like I said, always been a cool guy. And he doesn’t bother anybody for anything as long as everybody gives him 100% in the middle.”
Chandrakant Pandit breaks his silence on the KKR-Iyer controversy
The former Indian wicket-keeper also shared that he and Iyer worked well together during their time at KKR and were happy with what they achieved, including the IPL title. He felt that Shreyas was more unfortunate because he led the team to success but didn’t get that recognition.
On Iyer’s parting with KKR, the former coach said, “There was no pressure on Iyer. It also wasn’t like he didn’t fit into the strategy or the combination. So, only that unfortunately happened because of last-minute decisions; you know, it doesn’t work with you.”
However, Pandit stopped short of commenting on whether Shreyas Iyer got enough recognition as captain or if KKR missed him, but he stressed that the franchise always respected and valued the former skipper. He also had a very good and comfortable working relationship with Iyer as a coach and there is no malice between them.
