NEW DELHI: India captain: Shreyas Iyer believes his team’s disappointing white-ball tour of England and Ireland has laid the foundation for future success, insisting the tough spell has brought the squad closer ahead of the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe.After enduring a winless campaign in England and Ireland in what was Iyer’s first stint as India’s T20I captain, the visitors will now look to turn the page when they face Zimbabwe in the opening T20I on Thursday.Instead of dwelling on failures, Iyer said the challenging tour offered valuable lessons about team-thinking, adaptability and decision-making under pressure.“We had a bad patch in England, but there were a lot of positives from that. We know what we need to build as a team going forward, what kind of presence of mind, awareness and adaptability we need once we get on the field,” Iyer said on the eve of the series opener.
“Don’t be afraid of failure”
With India eyeing a quick comeback, Iyer urged his young squad to adopt an attacking mindset instead of worrying about criticism or the fear of failure.“I think they should not be afraid of failure because if you have such thoughts in the back of your mind, then you play to save yourself. If you don’t have that fear, you can get the best out of yourself,” said the captain.“We don’t have to think too much about what people are saying outside. We have to stay in the moment. The more we play good cricket and play together as a unit, the better it will be for the team,” he added.The captain added that the difficult results only strengthened the bond within the dressing room.“The results didn’t go our way, but that made the team closer to each other. We’ve had a lot of discussions about how we can play as a unit going forward. This is good exposure because you don’t get it very often. It’s a challenging stage, and the sooner you overcome it, the better off you’ll be as a team,” Iyer said.
Quick change, new challenge
India have little time to regroup after traveling directly from England, with only one practice session ahead of the opening match in Zimbabwe.Calling the schedule tough but exciting, Iyer credited his team for adapting quickly to unfamiliar conditions.“It is definitely very challenging. We came yesterday, today is the practice and tomorrow is the match. But it is fun, and if you perform well in these situations, you will definitely be happy with yourself,” said the new captain.The 31-year-old, who is touring Zimbabwe for the first time, acknowledged that a quick adjustment will be important.“Some of us are playing here for the first time, so the sooner we adjust, the better results we will get,” he added.Iyer also warned against underestimating Zimbabwe, praising the hosts for having an experienced squad with many players who have featured in the IPL.“They have a fantastic team and a great lineup. A couple of them have also played in the IPL, so they bring a lot of experience,” he said.