IPL 2021: Brad Hogg calls this Delhi Capitals player 'future leader of India'

Shreyas Iyer can be India's future leader, considering his responses to recent setbacks, according to former Australia spinner Brad Hogg.

Iyer underwent a shoulder surgery just before the Indian Premier League (IPL) went underway in India earlier this year in April. He not only missed the first phase of the IPL 2021 but also was not picked in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup. But his name was included in the reserves.

In Shreyas' absence, DC had named Rishabh Pant their skipper. When the first leg of the IPL 2021 was suspended due to the dangerous second covid wave in India, Pant-led DC were at the top of the table. Even with Shreyas' return for the second phase, the Delhi management decided to continue with the wicketkeeper-batsman as their captain for the remainder of the IPL season.

DC's first game in the second phase of IPL 2021 was against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Dubai earlier this week. The returning batsman, Shreyas, scored an unbeaten 47 in DC's chase of 135 in what was his first innings in competitive cricket since March.

"That's why Delhi Capitals have been at the top of the ladder, because of players like Iyer, who know their role in the team, being a team man and not being upset that Pant is continuing the captaincy role after he had it previously. He puts his team first. He's come back from injury, he is under a lot of pressure, he did not get picked in the main T20 squad for India. The one thing that I saw in the press conference was that I'm thinking this guy could be a future leader for India," Hogg said on his Youtube channel.

DC qualified for their maiden IPL final last season under Iyer's captaincy. Unfortunately, the Delhi side could not cross the line successfully as they ended up losing the final to Mumbai Indians (MI).

"It was just the way that he went about the processes with his own game. He does not get too far ahead of himself. He's got his routines and processes that he goes through and he does not go away from that," added former Australian cricketer Hogg.

Shreyas had been a regular member of the Indian limited overs setup until a shoulder injury during India's first One-Day International (ODI) against England led to a lengthy injury layoff. In that period, the Mumbai Indians (MI) duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan impressed with their performances that resulted in their inclusion in the Indian T20I squad ahead of Shreyas for the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place from Oct. 17 to Nov. 14 in Oman and the UAE.