Last Updated on 1 hour ago by Charbel Coorey
Shreyas Iyer reacts to India’s difficult T20I tour of Ireland and England, with the captain reflecting on his tough start as captain.
India’s 4-0 loss against England, which will be subject to a BCCI review, has come as a shock to many given the talent in their lineup. While they were without Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, the squad was littered with experience and the T20 world champions were expected to put on a much better show.
Shreyas Iyer reacts after 4-0 T20I series loss in England
Not only did India lose all four matches, but none were close. After the first match in Chester-le-Street was washed out, England won by margins of four wickets (six balls to spare), 125 runs, nine wickets (37 balls to spare) and 56 runs.
The final encounter in Southampton highlighted the gulf between the teams in this series as Jos Buttler and Harry Brook ran riot. It was Shreyas Iyer’s sixth defeat in seven matches as captain, but the skipper was positive after the match.
When asked about the expectations of replacing a successful captain in Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas said, “It’s not hard, honestly. I feel it’s a privilege for me to take over the captaincy. Every individual dreams of captaining for the Indian team. And taking on from [that] high, definitely I love pressure, and I feel it’s a privilege,” he said, as quoted by cricinfo.
The India captain then shed light on his mindset. He believes this difficult start will hold him in good start as doubt creeps in among India fans.
“For me to thrive under pressure, to learn from these moments is definitely going to make me better going forward. And that’s my mindset right now. Not thinking much about how people are going to think about this particular series because see, good and bad, it’s part and parcel of this game,” he said.
India’s next assignment is a three-match T20I series away in Zimbabwe starting 23 July. The Zimbabweans are on a high after performing well against Bangladesh, and the bouncier pitches of Harare can be a test for India’s out-of-form lineup.
“Going forward, I need to be extremely positive in how I’m going to basically nurture everyone who is playing around me, especially in overseas conditions. We know we are going to play in Australia and many other series before that. So the best camaraderie to fit in these conditions… our goal is that going forward, that is going to be our plan,” Shreyas said.
