New Delhi: Shreyas IyerThe start as India’s T20I captain has been far from ideal. After a surprise 2-0 series defeat against Ireland, India suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat against England in the five-match T20I series. The latest setback came on Saturday when India lost the fifth and final T20I by 56 runs at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.The defeat also cost India the first spot in the ICC Men’s T20I rankings, while England rose to the top. India have now lost six consecutive T20Is under Iyer’s leadership. Despite poor results, former Indian cricketer Abhishek Nayar It is thought that it is too early to question Iyer’s future as captain.
“Give him the freedom to build his own team”
Nayar said the new captain should have enough time and freedom to shape the team according to his plans.“When you give someone the responsibility of taking over from a championship team, you also want to give him the freedom to choose the team. When you first become captain, you don’t have the freedom to say, ‘This is where I want to lead the team.’ You manage the team first and then see what you need to do with it,” Nayar told JioHotstar.He feels defeats against Ireland and England will help Iyer understand what changes need to be made.“After these two series, he will have time to reflect and understand what he wants from this team, how he needs them to play and what he needs from the support staff. So to say that Shrias Iyer’s future as captain is in jeopardy is harsh.”
“Don’t judge him too early”
Nayar said Ayer should be allowed to build his own team before people start judging his leadership.He pointed out that England captain Harry Brooke, England Test captain Ben Stokes, former India captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are all trusted leaders who can build their team.“It’s been a very tough series and you can blame Shreyas Iyer, but the more rational thing is to understand what he wants from this team. Let him feel like it’s ownership of his team, like Harry Brook does now, Ben Stokes does in the England Test team, or Rohit Sharma did for India when he was captain, or Virat Kohli did for India when he was in the Test team, and then come and judge him.“
“No panic button”
Nayar also reminded the fans that even current ODI captain Shubman Gill did not achieve immediate success when he first took charge.He feels Iyer needs time to adapt to the role before his captaincy can be fairly assessed.“Even Shubman Gill, when he became ODI captain for the first time, did not win a few series first. When you understand yourself deeply, you build confidence and the team you envision. It is still early days and there is no panic button, but there needs to be clarity on the direction this team is going,” he added.Iyer’s captaincy is under scrutiny following two consecutive series defeats, but Nayyar feels that patience rather than panic is the right approach as India begins a new phase in T20 cricket.
