There have been reports of tension between India’s new T20 captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Gautam Gambhir after the team’s disappointing performance on the Ireland tour. The partnership got off to a rocky start after India suffered a 2-0 T20 series defeat, ending the team’s 16-series winning streak in bilateral T20 series.
The Men in Blue suffered their first bilateral T20I series defeat since 2023 after losing both matches in Belfast. India lost the opening game by 34 runs before suffering a one-run defeat in the second T20I. Shreyas Iyer’s team will have to make a comeback in the five-match T20 series in England starting from July 1.
The final decision lies with Gautam Gambhir – report claims Shreyas Iyer’s role in team decisions is limited
According to a report by Cricblogger.com, Shreyas Iyer currently has limited influence on important decisions of the Indian team. The report claims that head coach Gautam Gambhir is leading most of the tactical and selection calls.
“Even after winning the toss, it seems Gambhir will have the final say on what the Indian team will or will not do,” a source said.
The report also pointed to team selection decisions during the Ireland series. India did not give Vaibhav Suryavanshi a chance to make his international debut and continued with Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma as the opening pair.
Washington Sundar played his first T20 match despite struggling with both bat and ball. He was later replaced by debutant Suryansh Shedge for the second match.
Gautam Gambhir had no option but to accept Shreyas Iyer – report on captaincy appointment
The report claims that Gambhir was not in favor of making Shreyas Iyer the T20 captain of India. It said that the head coach preferred Sanju Samson or Ishan Kishan for the role.
The report also claims that Gambhir had insisted on the inclusion of Washington Sundar in place of Shreyas during the T20 World Cup. However, the BCCI reportedly informed him that the selectors would decide the captaincy.
Another source said, “Hence, Gambhir had no option but to accept Shreyas as India’s T20 captain.”
Following India’s shocking 2-0 T20 series defeat, Iyer praised Ireland, saying the hosts were “phenomenal” throughout the series.
India faced tough questions after Ireland series defeat
India’s first T20I series under new captain Shreyas Iyer ended on a disappointing note with a 2-0 defeat to Ireland in Belfast. This was also their first bilateral T20I series defeat since 2023.
Iyer became the first Indian captain to lose a T20I match against Ireland and later became the first captain to lose a T20I series against them. Before this tour, India had won all their previous eight T20 matches against Ireland, making this defeat even more disappointing.
Iyer also became the second Indian captain after Rishabh Pant to lose his first two T20 matches. Pant also suffered the same loss against South Africa in 2022.
Iyer has become the second Indian captain along with Shikhar Dhawan to lose his first T20 series. Dhawan’s side lost 2-1 to Sri Lanka in 2021 after the team was disrupted due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
India now have very little time to unite before the England tour. With a strong opponent awaiting them, the team management will need to review their selection decisions and fix the issues highlighted during the Ireland series.
