'Selflessness is the foremost quality of a good leader' - Gautam Gambhir on Shreyas Iyer's captaincy

Shreyas Iyer led India to a 19-run victory over Pakistan in the men's cricket gold medal match at the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday, October 3, at Nisshin. The triumph allowed India to retain their gold medal in the event. Iyer and his squad are now preparing for a five-match T20I series against West Indies beginning on Tuesday, October 6.

Gautam Gambhir, India's head coach, has assessed Iyer's captaincy ahead of the upcoming series. Gambhir and Iyer developed a strong working relationship during the 2024 IPL season when Gambhir served as mentor at Kolkata Knight Riders while Iyer captained the franchise. Together they guided KKR to their third IPL title that year.

Gambhir elaborated on what impressed him most about Iyer's approach to captaincy during their time together at KKR. The head coach recognised that few captains, particularly those who are among their team's primary batters, would willingly adjust their batting order for tactical reasons. This flexibility demonstrated a commitment to team success over personal statistics.

"My first experience with Shreyas was when I actually went to KKR in 2024 where he was obviously captaining. And the best thing I liked about Shreyas was that he was actually willing to leave his batting position at times. He was so flexible that he was okay if someone went ahead of him. And it happens very rarely that a captain, who is probably your main batter as well, sacrifices his position for the team's cause, whether for someone else for impact or from a left-right combination point of view," said Gambhir on JioStar's 'Follow the Blues'.

"And that is when I realised that the first and foremost quality of a good leader is how selfless you are. Shreyas has that quality, and that is a massive tick that he can carry for the rest of his journey as a captain. Because you can be hardworking, you can be disciplined, you can be fit, you can be the number one batter. But if you are not selfless, then all those other things stand for nothing. But Shreyas has got all of those things, and on top of that, he's got that selflessness as well," he added.

Gambhir's assessment highlighted that selflessness forms the foundation of effective captaincy, transcending technical skills and fitness levels. According to the head coach, a captain's willingness to subordinate personal interests to team objectives separates good leaders from exceptional ones.

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India's recent ODI series against West Indies ended with the home side winning 2 of the 3 matches, and the T20I series will test Iyer's captaincy further as India looks to maintain their winning momentum against the Caribbean side.