NEW DELHI: Shreyas IyerThe start as India’s T20I captain was far from perfect. After a surprise 2-0 series loss against Ireland, India were thrashed by England, 4-0 in the five-match T20I series. The latest defeat came on Saturday, when India lost the fifth and final T20I by 56 runs at The Rose Bowl in Southampton.The loss also gave 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 create his own team”
Nayar said that the new captain should be given enough time and freedom to shape the team according to his own plan.“When you give someone the mantle of taking over from a champion side, you also want to give him the freedom to choose his side. First you manage 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 will have time to reflect, understand what he needs from this team, how he needs them to play and what he needs from the support staff.
“Don’t judge him too soon”
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 are trusted to build their own teams.“This is a very difficult series, and you can point fingers at Shreyas Iyer, but the more reasonable thing is to understand what he needs from this team. Give him the ownership of the feeling that this is his team, like Harry Brook is doing now, Ben Stokes is doing in the England Test team, or Rohit Sharma is doing for India when he is the captain, or Virat Kohli is doing it, especially when he decides a Test team.“
“No panic button”
Nayar also reminded the fans that even current ODI captain Shubman Gill did not enjoy immediate success during his first tenure.He believes that Iyer needs time to settle into the role before his captaincy is reviewed.“Even Shubman Gill, when he first became the ODI captain, didn’t win a few series first. When you go in yourself, you build the confidence and the team you think of. It’s still early, there’s no panic button, but there has to be clarity about where this team is going,” he added.With two consecutive defeats, Iyer’s captaincy is under scrutiny, but Nayar believes patience—not panic—is the right approach as India embark on a new phase of T20 cricket.