Shreyas Iyer, Suresh Raina react to Rishabh Pant's appointment as Delhi Capitals captain for IPL 2021

Reacting on Rishabh Pant’s appointment as the Delhi Capitals captain for IPL 2021, Iyer said he had ‘no doubts’ the wicketkeeper-batsman would be the ‘best man’ to do the job in his absence. Suresh Raina feels Pant will be a talismanic leader for DC.

Rishabh Pant was one of the top trends on Twitter in India last night after he was named as the Delhi Capitals captain for IPL 2021, replacing the injured Shreyas Iyer. While Pant was congratulated by his fans, the cricketing fraternity was not far behind. Shreyas Iyer himself and CSK batsman Suresh Raina extended their good wishes to the left-hander for IPL.

Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant during an IPL match (PTI)

Reacting on Rishabh Pant’s appointment as the Delhi Capitals captain for IPL 2021, Iyer said he had ‘no doubts’ the wicketkeeper-batsman would be the ‘best man’ to do the job in his absence.

Iyer, who has been leading Delhi Capitals in the last three seasons of IPL – He had replaced Gautam Gambhir mid-way in IPL 2018 – was ruled out of the 14th edition of Indian Premier League after hurting his shoulder while fielding in the 1st ODI against England.

Despite there being experienced players like Steve Smith, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, with proven track-record of either leading their respective nations at international cricket or an IPL franchises in the past, DC went ahead with the man of the moment Rishabh Pant as their leader for IPL 2021.

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“When I sustained the shoulder injury, and Delhi Capitals needed a leader for this edition of the IPL, I had no doubt that Rishabh (Pant) would be the best man for the job,” said Iyer, who led DC to the finals of IPL last year.

The attacking right-hander agreed that he will miss being a part of the ‘tremendous’ Delhi Capitals team but did not forget to convey his good wishes to Pant.

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“He has all my good wishes to make amazing things happen with our absolutely incredible team. I’m going to miss the team tremendously, and will be cheering for them throughout,” Iyer added.

Suresh Raina feels wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant would be a talismanic leader for DC.

"Heartiest congratulations to @RishabhPant17 on being named the captain of @DelhiCapitals for this season. I am sure he will be a talismanic leader and will be donning this new cap with pride," Raina tweeted.

When asked about his appointment as the DC skipper, Pant said it was always a dream.

"Delhi is where I grew up, and where my IPL journey began six years ago. To lead this team one day is a dream I've always harboured. And today, as that dream comes true, I feel humbled. I am truly grateful, especially to our team owners, who considered me capable enough for this role. With an amazing coaching staff, and a plethora of accomplished seniors around me, I can't wait to give my absolute best for Delhi Capitals," he said.

This will be Rishabh Pant’s debut as IPL captain. The 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has captained Delhi’s state team in the past.