NEW DELHI: Shreyas IyerDebut as India’s T20I captain was not ideal. After a shock 2-0 defeat against Ireland, India were thrashed 4-0 by England in five T20Is. 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 saw India move to No.1 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, the former Indian cricketer Abhishek Nayar he believes that it is too late to doubt Iyer’s future as a captain.
‘Give him the freedom to form his own team’
Nayar said the new captain should be given enough time and freedom to organize the team according to his plans.“When you give someone the role of a hero, you also want to give them the freedom to choose their side. The first time you become captain, you don’t get the freedom to say, ‘This is where I want to take the team.’ You run the group first and see what you have to do with it,” Nayar told JioHotstar.He feels that the defeat of Ireland and England will help Iyer understand what is needed.“Send the two teams, they will have time to think, understand what they want from the team, how they want to play and what they need from the supporters. So, it will be difficult to say that Shreyas Iyer’s future is in danger as a captain.”
‘Don’t judge him too soon’
Nayar said Iyer should be allowed to make the team his own before people start judging his leadership.He pointed to England captain Harry Brook, England Test captain 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 very difficult series, and you can point fingers at Shreyas Iyer, but the clearest thing is to understand what he wants from this team. Give him ownership of feeling like it’s his team, like Harry Brook is doing now, Ben Stokes did with the England Test team, or Rohit Sharma did for India when he was captain, or Virat Kohli did well, especially with the Test team.“
‘no panic button’
Nayar also reminded the fans that even the current ODI captain Shubman Gill was not happy with the performance when he took charge.It is believed that Iyer needs time to settle into the role before his captaincy is assessed.“Even Shubman Gill, when he started as ODI manager, he didn’t win a few series at first. When you go in alone, you build confidence with the team you are considering. It is still early days, there is no panic button, but there should be clarity about where the team is going,” he added.With two wins in a row, Iyer’s captaincy has come under scrutiny, but Nayar believes patience – not panic – is the right strategy as India embark on a new phase in T20 cricket.
