SportsPosted at: Oct 6 2026 6:06PM


He’s a player’s captain: Laxman backs Iyer for successful leadership career

New Delhi, Oct 6 (UNI) India head coach VVS Laxman has praised Shreyas Iyer’s leadership after the side successfully defended their men’s cricket gold medal at the Asian Games, describing the skipper as a “player’s captain” who leads by example.
India beat Pakistan by 19 runs in a thrilling final at Korogi Sports Park on Saturday to retain the gold medal. Abhishek Sharma’s 61 off 28 balls and Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 51 off 22 helped India post 211/6 before Pakistan were restricted to 192/6. Hasan Nawaz’s 96 off 51 kept Pakistan in the chase until Shivam Dube dismissed him with the final ball to seal India’s victory.
For Laxman, one of the biggest positives from the campaign was the way Iyer handled his first major assignment as captain. He was particularly impressed by Iyer’s preparation, tactical awareness and ability to create a comfortable environment for his players.
“It’s just the start of his captaincy career, but I’m sure that he’ll actually get a lot of success. And he’s a player’s captain. He makes everyone very, very comfortable and leads by example, whether with the bat or on the field,” Laxman said in a BCCI video.
“Even before the team meetings, he sits down with the plans and the strengths and the weaknesses of the opposition, and he’s very thorough in the way he prepares and puts a lot of emphasis on fitness,” he added.
Laxman also backed Iyer to enjoy a successful leadership career, pointing to his understanding of players and his ability to stay ahead of the opposition in T20 cricket.
“I’m sure that he’ll have a very successful career as a captain. He’s a fabulous leader of players, tactically very, very smart, and very sharp. He understands the strengths of each and every player of his team, and he knows to get the best out of them,” he said.
The former India batter said adaptability was another key factor behind the team’s success, particularly after rain, travel and limited practice opportunities disrupted their preparations in Japan.
“Right from the time we came to Japan, we were challenged by weather, travel, lack of good practice sessions and preparation. But not even once I felt that the team, all the players in the squad were not eager to get ready for the big matches,” he said.
Laxman was also pleased with the team’s response to different conditions during the knockout stages.
“And one thing which I’m really proud of is the adaptability they’ve shown. Because irrespective of challenging conditions or circumstances, not once were they not flexible in the way they approached both the games. We know that the semi-finals were on a tough wicket, but they showed positive intent, and again in the finals, with the bat, with the ball, I thought they were very professional,” he said.
He credited the organisers for ensuring the knockout matches went ahead despite heavy rain and said the campaign reflected the depth being built through India’s pathway programmes.
“The collective effort of the selection committee, the team management, the Centre of Excellence, and above all, BCCI, for giving us all the opportunity to have various camps and various pathway and development programmes where we can nurture the future of Indian cricket. If the bench strength is strong, it will only add to the depth of our national team,” he said.
“We’ve got an abundance of talented players who will get a lot of laurels for our country, not only now but going forward over the next 5-10 years. It’s how we mentor them, it’s how we groom them, and it's how we get the best out of them that’s in our hands,” he said.
“It’s great. I think with the depth we have, we are in a very, very good position. Not many countries are in this kind of a position,” he added.UNI TB AAB
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