IPL 2019: Shreyas Iyer was a better captain than Virat Kohli, feels Sanjay Manjrekar

For former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, Shreyas Iyer of Delhi Capitals (DC) was a better captain than Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) Virat Kohli. The former India batsman ranked the captains who led their respective franchises in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 and as per his analysis, Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni was the best of the lot. Manjrekar though did not rank Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain Dinesh Karthik in his list.

As per Manjrekar who is a cricket commentator and analyst now, Dhoni received 9 out of 10 as a captain even though he failed at the final hurdle, losing to Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians (MI) in the final by one run. About deducting one point from Dhoni’s number, Manjrekar said it was because he had backed Shane Watson far too long in the tournament despite the Australian not getting much run. Watson though scored highest in the final with 80 but failed to win it for his side.

“Rohit Sharma has been around for a long time. Very reliable, balanced captain. Doesn’t make too many major mistakes. Knows how to handle some of the big guns in the team… I just like the ways he conducts the business out there,” Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo while giving Rohit 8 out of 10. He though said players like Kieron Pollard could be handled better.

On Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin who made the headlines with his ‘Mankading’ controversy this year, Manjrekar gave him 7 out of 10 saying he is an excellent package as a captain and player. “There is always some thought going on in every move and every selection,” Manjrekar said, calling Ashwin an interesting leader and not a run of the mill.

Rahane disappointed Manjrekar as captain

On Rajasthan Royals who were led by two captains – Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith – Manjrekar called Rahane’s captaincy disappointing and gave him only 5 out of 10. Smith, who later replaced Rahane, was given a point more than Rahane – 6 out of 10.

Manjrekar also had high praise for DC skipper Iyer, who he said has been more visible this year as the captain of a side that did better. He gave Iyer 8 out of 10. On Kohli, Manjrekar didn’t have many encouraging things to say and felt his picking of players at the auction and selection of players for games was not too inspiring. He gave Kohli only 6 out of 10.

On Sunrisers Hyderabad captaincy, Manjrekar had kind words for both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kane Williamson who took turns to lead the franchise. He praised Williamson for sacrificing his batting position for the team’s betterment and said Bhuvneshwar did a good job before the New Zealander arrived. He gave the Black Caps 7 out of 10 as captain.

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