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Shreyas Iyer is just hours away from leading India for the first time as full-time T20I captain and Mohammad Kaif believes the new captain has a huge advantage against Ireland. The Men in Blue are all set to face Ireland in the opening match of the two-match T20 series in Belfast on June 26.
Many people think that captaining India is the toughest job in cricket, but Kaif feels that leading the national team is actually less challenging than leading an IPL team because the players already know their roles. Well, Shreyas Iyer has given his first speech as India’s T20I captain.
Mohammad Kaif told why Shreyas Iyer has an advantage before making his captaincy debut
Ahead of Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy debut, Mohammad Kaif pointed out that an IPL captain has a lot to live up to. Every season, he has to find the right combination, manage Indian and foreign players and help young cricketers settle into the team.
This is why the former Indian batsman feels that IPL captaincy brings more pressure than people generally think. He said captaining the Indian team is ‘comparatively easy’ as there is no need to groom players, who know what the coach expects from them and understand their responsibilities. This will make things easier for Iyer as captain.
Mohammad Kaif says captaining IPL is more difficult than captaining India
“I think it will be a little easier for him. IPL captaincy is tough because you have seven Indian players and four foreign players. You have to choose the best combination among those seven Indians. There are also two or three young players in the team who you have to guide and groom,” Mohammad Kaif said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
It requires a lot of effort. Captaining the Indian team is a little easier because everyone already knows their role. This is not a team full of uncapped or inexperienced players that you need to manage from the beginning. That’s why I say the job becomes a little easier.”
Mohammad Kaif reveals the one decision on which Shreyas Iyer will not compromise
Meanwhile, Kaif also stressed that Shreyas Iyer will not interfere in every decision taken by the coaching staff and team management. However, when it comes to his batting position, Iyer will ensure that the team management understands where he wants to bat.
Kaif said, “By ‘push’ I don’t mean that there will be any conflict or debate. It is not about a fight. It simply means that he will present his position strongly. He will say, ‘I believe this is the best batting position for me in this Indian team.’ Whether Gautam Gambhir agrees with him or not is a different matter. I am only talking about Iyer’s mentality as a player.”
Gautam Gambhir returns to Ireland as coach as India aim to maintain dominance
Well, India have completely dominated Ireland in T20I cricket so far. The two teams have faced each other eight times and India have won all eight matches, with the last encounter taking place during the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York.
The upcoming T20I match in Belfast will be India’s first T20I match at the Stormont Cricket Ground. He has played only one international match at this venue before – an ODI against Ireland in 2007.
In that game, current India head coach Gautam Gambhir played a match-winning unbeaten inning of 80 runs and was named player of the match. Now, almost two decades later, Gambhir has returned to the same ground, but this time as India’s head coach.
