Shreyas Iyer’s first match as India’s full-time T20I captain has already become a memorable one for him. Even before making an impact with his captaincy, Shreyas Iyer has entered the record books by breaking a major 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 two-match T20I series opener on Friday, June 26, at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast. Recently, Sanjay Manjrekar credits IPL for shaping Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy credentials.
Shreyas Iyer shatters Rohit Sharma’s record on T20I captaincy debut
As soon as Shreyas Iyer walked into the field for the toss in Belfast, the stylish batter became the most experienced player to lead India for the first time in T20I cricket. He got the captaincy after playing 114 T20 matches, breaking the record of the former captain Rohit Sharma.
Rohit had 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 the players leading in most T20Is at the time of their T20I captaincy debuts for India.
The 31-year-old also achieved another milestone. 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 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 that he wants to keep things simple as India’s new T20I captain. He just wants his players to play with a free mind and stay in the present.
Shreyas Iyer said at the toss, as quoted by Cricbuzz: “I always keep saying that you don’t have to complicate things. Keep it as simple as possible. When I say that, you just need to be in the present and not think much about or dwell on the past or future. If you’re there in the moment and you’re enjoying the game, that’s all that is required from each one.”
Shreyas Iyer reveals Gautam Gambhir’s fearless game plan for Team India
The captain also revealed that the head coach Gautam Gambhir has asked the players to play fearless cricket, stay confident, and give their best without holding back. He also said the team is quickly adjusting to the Irish conditions after a strong practice session before the T20I series.
Iyer added, “Honestly speaking, he’s just asked all the players to be themselves and be relentless in the approach—ruthless. And there are so many other adverbs that I could put in over here. But, you know, it comes from the experience, and for the majority of us, as I’ve mentioned before, it’s our first time over here.
So, we need to get accustomed to the conditions as well as quickly as possible. And we’ve had a tremendous session yesterday. So, boys are looking in great shape and good form.”
