India’s comprehensive 3-0 T20I series win over Zimbabwe ended with a partnership between the captains Shreyas Iyer and stand-in head coach VVS Laxman. A relatively inexperienced Indian squad, missing several first-choice players including: Sanju SamsonAxar Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, completed the clean sweep in a 35-run victory in the third and final T20I in Harare on Sunday. In a dressing room video shared by the BCCI after the series, Laxman Iyer was singled out for praise, praising the captain’s character and leadership despite a difficult start to his tenure as India’s T20I captain. “I would like to congratulate especially Shreya: because he had a tough start to his captaincy career but the way he came back, right from the first day when he joined us a day before the first match, he was very optimistic,” said Laxman, referring to India’s 0-4 loss against England earlier this month. Laxman said Iyer’s confidence was evident from the start, even though the squad had many new faces with only a handful of players brought over from the England tour. “This is a new group of players. We know that only four or five of those in England have joined us on this tour. But he is very confident and a lot of credit for this victory must be given to the captain, the way he motivates each one of you,” he added. Iyer, who registered his first series win as India’s T20I captain, returned the praise by thanking Laxman for the influence he had on the squad throughout the tour. “I think we’ve been flawless, honestly, throughout the series preventing the shots we drop. It’s been an incredible effort by everyone on the team, including the support staff.” “Thank you VVS sir for encouraging us and encouraging us. Every day when we step on the field, I think everything you talk about is apt and we can relate to it. So, thank you very much,” said Iyer. Laxman stepped in as interim head coach for the Zimbabwe series while being the regular head coach Gautam Gambhir rested after India’s compelling tour of the UK. Gambhir is expected to return for India’s Test tour of Sri Lanka in August. Zimbabwe’s successful campaign once again highlighted Laxman’s ability to guide young squads through short tasks, while Iyer’s composed leadership helped India bounce back after a disappointing series in England earlier in the month.