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India’s youth T20 team is already under pressure after the shocking 0-2 series defeat against Ireland and now they are ready for an even bigger test in England. As the five-match T20 series is set to begin on Wednesday, July 1 in Durham, all eyes will be on captain Shreyas Iyer.
Everyone is expecting Iyer to bring the Indian national cricket team back to winning ways in England after the loss to Ireland. However, former India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara believes that Iyer has the quality to lead the team but feels that the captain has a bigger job to do.
Cheteshwar Pujara supported Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy but expressed great concern about batting.
Ahead of the first T20I in Durham, Cheteshwar Pujara said Shreyas Iyer needs to prove himself with the bat after failing to make an impact in his first series as Indian captain. His comments come after Matt Prior compared Vaibhav Suryavanshi to Steve Waugh ahead of the England T20I.
Pujara admitted that Iyer is a “phenomenal” captain but now the team needs a stellar performance from its skipper in the upcoming T20I series in England as India cannot afford another poor series.
“I have no doubt about Shreyas Iyer as a captain, but as a batsman he will face many challenges and he will have to prove himself as a batsman. As a captain, he has done a great job in the IPL for the Punjab team and that is why he has been brought in as the captain,” Pujara said on Star Sports.
Shreyas Iyer’s batting was a struggle
Shreyas made an unforgettable start to his captaincy during the Ireland tour. India lost both the T20 matches and suffered a 2-0 defeat. As a player, the right-handed batsman struggled badly even after taking over the No. 4 spot from Suryakumar Yadav. He could score only 13 runs in both the matches.
Even before the Ireland tour, Shreyas had failed to make a big contribution in the ODI series against Afghanistan at home. He could score only 12, 26 and an unbeaten 20 in three matches.
Pujara praised Iyer’s ‘proactive’ captaincy
Amidst his batting struggles, Pujara has full confidence in Shreyas’s leadership but wants him to lead the team from the front on the England tour. Even Shreyas Iyer shared that he was not surprised when he was made the captain of Team India.
He praised Iyer as a captain, saying that he likes to be involved in the game, take quick decisions on the field and allow his teammates to play fearless cricket.
“He is an experienced player in that team and he is a dynamic captain. He leads from the front and gives a lot of freedom to the players,” Pujara said.
India’s bowling attack is under question
However, England will not make life easy for India in the upcoming T20I series. The home team has a powerful batting unit with Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethel, Will Jacks and Jordan Cox. And they will target India’s weak bowling attack at will.
Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are not part of the tour, and other young fast bowlers have failed to perform consistently. The spin department will also be under pressure. If India has to stop England’s dangerous lineup, Axar Patel, Suryansh Shedge and Washington Sundar will have to come forward.
