Follow UsTen days, two finals, Shreyas Iyer, the captain, continues to showcase his prowess, leading SoBo Mumbai Falcons to the final of T20 Mumbai on June 10 (Tuesday). After Siddhesh Lad led Mumbai South Central Maratha Royals to the final earlier in the day, it was Iyer’s time to prove his captaincy credentials.
Iyer didn’t disappoint one bit, winning the toss and putting NaMo Bandra Blasters into batting first. Siddharth Raut’s first-ball strike ensured that the Blasters were on the backfoot immediately before he struck again to send Vikrant Auti packing.
Whilst there was a brief partnership between skipper Akash Anand (31) and Dhrumil Matkar (34), the Blasters could only get to 130 after their stipulated 20 overs. Considering the conditions, it seemed like only a matter of time before the Falcons would put one foot into the final.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who kept wickets, struck a sizzling 14-ball 27, his opening partner, Ishan Mulchandani, smashed a 34-ball 52 to put them within touching distance of a final. Towards the end, Akash Parkar put the finishing touches, with a 20-ball 32 to take the Falcons into the final.
“It [captaincy] brings in a lot of maturity and responsibility. You are always expected to perform and contribute in the best way possible for the team because whenever there is a hurdle or some kind of adversity you face as a team, they always come to the captain. I think I have got a lot of experience as I have been captaining since I was 22. I have enjoyed the moments and also embraced it. I love the fact to come out and lead," Iyer told the T20 Mumbai League, only a few days earlier.
Amidst all the talk of Iyer taking over as India’s new white-ball leader, there will be a lot of eyeballs on the 31-year-old’s leadership in the final, on June 12 (Thursday).