T20 2018: It was a team effort, says Shreyas Iyer

Delhiâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088skipper Shreyas Iyer

If there were any doubts about young Shreyas Iyer's capability of leading the revival of a struggling side and the added responsibility affecting his batting, they were dispelled in a matter of hours at the Kotla on Friday night. After Delhi' regular skipper Gautam Gambhir decided to step down, captaincy was thrust upon the soft-spoken, baby-faced Mumbaikar, whose appearance gave the impression that he may not be ready for the big job. But, he took to it like a duck to water.

It was virtually Iyer's match, blasting the Kolkata bowlers to score an unbeaten 93 - the highest score by a captain on IPL debut, and eventually winning the game with his tactful handling of the resources and then bagging the Man of the Match award. Instead of talking about himself, he chose to speak about his teammates. He was quick to dispel the notion that he was the sole architect of the win.

"Obviously, it is a great feeling getting on the winning side. It was indeed satisfying to win my first game as skipper. It was a total team effort as all of us contributed towards this win," he said before adding: "We hope to keep the momentum going by doing exactly what we did today and continue to build on this win." He also praised young Prithvi Shaw for his 62-run knock. "It was his innings that laid the foundation," said Iyer.

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