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Team India’s head coach Ricky Ponting will replace Gautam Gambhir! It sounds strange, but this is what former England captain Michael Vaughan thought when he heard Shreyas Iyer was named India captain in T20Is.
It is widely known that Iyer and Ponting share a very close bond with each other, and together they achieved remarkable success in the Indian Premier League (IPL), first with Delhi Capitals (DC), later with Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Will Ricky Ponting replace Gautam Gambhir?
Since Shreyas Iyer and the former Australia captain share a good relationship, Vaughan joked that he has started imagining Ricky Ponting replacing Gautam Gambhir.
However, this did not happen. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed Iyer as its captain for the shortest format of the game in place of 2026 T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav, ahead of the ongoing series against Ireland, and Gautam Gambhir will remain the head coach of the team.
Michael Vaughan lauds BCCI’s courage to ignore Suryakumar Yadav
The former England captain has mentioned that every other country across the world would think before dropping their World Cup-winning captain from the team. But since India has an extremely talented pool of cricketers, the BCCI showed courage in removing Suryakumar Yadav and made Shreyas Iyer the captain, who last performed in this format almost a few years ago before facing Ireland in Belfast on June 26.
Michael Vaughan said on Ajinkya Rahane’s YouTube channel, “When I first heard it, I assumed Ricky Ponting would be the coach. They both come as a pair. He is a very good captain, very good player and it tells you how much depth and strength you have in Indian cricket, especially in T20, when you are replacing a captain who has just won the T20 World Cup. I’m not sure that would happen in any other country.”
Iyer’s first match as Team India captain ended beyond expectations as Ireland handed the Men in Blue a 34-run defeat last night. This is a series of only 2 matches, so to level the score at 1-1, India will have to win the remaining matches at any cost.
India will be a strong contender against England
Despite the shock result, Michael Vaughan considers Iyer and Co. as favorites to take on England next month. Describing Team India as the best in the world, the former cricketer believes that India will be a strong contender to win the series against England.
“Great opportunity for Iyer, a few years away from the next T20 World Cup. He will know he has a fantastic team to work with on the England tour, and you have to say India are going to be favorites for the series; they always have been, they are the best team in the world. England will have to produce some good cricket to compete with them,” he further said via the same video.
I thought Ricky Ponting would become the coach of Team India – Vaughan on the appointment of Shreyas Iyer
: When I heard that Shreyas Iyer was made captain, I assumed Ricky Ponting would also be the coach – they come as a pair.
– Shreyas is a brilliant captain and player. But… pic.twitter.com/1XQDYUJ3EU
– Sam (@cricsam02) June 27, 2026