NEW DELHI: Shreyas Iyer‘s start as India’s T20I captain has been far from ideal. After a surprise 2-0 series defeat against Ireland, India were thrashed 4-0 by England in the five-match T20I series. The latest setback came on Saturday, when India lost the fifth and final T20I by 56 runs at The Rose Bowl in Southampton.The defeat also cost India the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men’s T20I rankings, with England moving to the top. India have now lost six consecutive T20Is under Iyer. Despite the poor results, former India cricketer Abhishek Nayar believes it is too early to question Iyer’s future as captain.
‘Give him the freedom to build his own team’
Nayar said a new captain should be given enough time and freedom to shape the team according to his own plans.“When you give someone the mantle of taking over from a champion side, you also want to give him the liberty of picking his side. The first time you become captain, you don’t get the liberty of saying, ‘This is where I want to take the team.’ You first handle the team and then see what you need to do with it,” Nayar told JioHotstar.He feels the defeats against Ireland and England will help Iyer understand what changes are needed.“Post these two series, he’ll have time to reflect, understand what he requires from this team, how he needs them to play and what he needs from the support staff. So, it will be harsh to say that Shreyas Iyer’s future is in jeopardy as a captain.”
‘Don’t judge him too early’
Nayar said Iyer should first be allowed to make the team his own before people start judging his leadership.He pointed to England captain Harry Brook, England Test skipper Ben Stokes, and former India captains Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as examples of leaders who were trusted to build their own teams.“It’s been a really hard series, and you can point fingers at Shreyas Iyer, but the more rational thing is to understand what he requires from this team. Give him the ownership of feeling like this is his team, like Harry Brook does right now, Ben Stokes did with the England Test team, or Rohit Sharma did for India when he was the captain, or Virat Kohli did, especially with the Test team. Then it’s a better place to judge him.“
‘No panic button’
Nayar also reminded fans that even current ODI captain Shubman Gill did not enjoy immediate success when he first took charge.He believes Iyer needs time to settle into the role before his captaincy can be fairly assessed.“Even Shubman Gill, when he first became the ODI captain, didn’t win a few series first up. As you get into your own, you build confidence and the team you envision. It’s still early days, there’s no panic button, but there needs to be clarity as to where this team is going,” he added.With two series defeats in a row, Iyer’s captaincy has come under scrutiny, but Nayar believes patience—not panic—is the right approach as India begin a new phase in T20 cricket.