table of contents
Shreyas Iyer’s first match as India’s full-time T20I captain has already become a memorable one for him. Even before making a splash with his captaincy, Shreyas Iyer has registered his name in the record books by breaking a big record of Rohit Sharma.
The India national cricket team opted to bowl first after Iyer won the toss against the Ireland national cricket team in the opening match of the two-match T20 series at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast on Friday, June 26. Recently, Sanjay Manjrekar credited the IPL for shaping Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy credentials.
Shreyas Iyer broke Rohit Sharma’s record as soon as he made his debut as T-20 captaincy.
As soon as Shreyas Iyer walked into the field for the toss in Belfast, the stylish batsman became the most experienced player to lead India in T20I cricket for the first time. After playing 114 T20 matches, he got the captaincy and broke the record of former captain Rohit Sharma.
Rohit led India for the first time after playing 80 T20s. Rohit was followed by Virat Kohli (72), KL Rahul (42), Rishabh Pant (30) and Shikhar Dhawan (21) in the list of leading players in most T20Is at the time of T20I captaincy debut for India.
The 31-year-old player also achieved another feat. Iyer is now the third oldest player to make his T20I captaincy debut for India at the age of 31 years and 202 days.
Only Shikhar Dhawan (35 years and 232 days) and Suryakumar Yadav (33 years and 70 days) were older than him when they captained India for the first time in T20I cricket. Others in the list are Rohit (30 years and 234 days) and KL Rahul (30 years and 143 days).
Shreyas Iyer reveals his simple captaincy mantra
Meanwhile, speaking on his captaincy philosophy, Iyer said he wants to keep things simple as India’s new T20I captain. He just wants his players to play with an independent mind and stay in the present.
“I always keep saying that you don’t need to complicate things. Keep it as simple as possible. When I say that, you just need to be in the present and not think or concentrate too much about the past or the future. If you are there in the moment and you are enjoying the game, that’s all that everyone needs,” Shreyas Iyer said at the toss, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Shreyas Iyer reveals Gautam Gambhir’s fearless game plan for Team India
The captain also revealed that head coach Gautam Gambhir has asked the players to play fearless cricket, be confident and give their best without holding back. He also said that the team is adjusting quickly to the Irish conditions after a strong practice session ahead of the T20 series.
Iyer further added, “To be honest, he has told all the players to be themselves and be consistent in approach – ruthless. And there are many other adverbs I can put here. But, you know, it comes from experience, and for most of us, as I mentioned earlier, it is our first time here.
Therefore, we need to get used to the conditions as quickly as possible. And we had a tremendous session yesterday. So, the boys are looking in good shape and in good form.”
