NEW DELHI: Shreyas Iyer marked his return to the Indian T20I team on Friday, leading the team in his first game as captain after a long stint in T20Is before leading the international team.After Iyer walked out to bowl in the opening T20I against Ireland in Belfast, he has missed 63 consecutive T20 matches for India since his debut against Australia in Bengaluru on December 3, 2023. The gap is the longest for any player before leading their country in T20Is for the first time.The 31-year-old surpassed New Zealand’s Tom Latham, who took over as T20I captain after missing 47 consecutive matches between 2017 and 2021. Australia’s Rachel Haynes is third on the list after 40 matches between 2013 and 2017.Iyer’s previous T20I form saw India win six runs in Australia, where he scored a brilliant 53 in 37 matches, hitting four fours and two sixes.
Back-to-back T20s were missed by the team before he returned as captain
- Shreyas Iyer of India: 63 (2023-2026)
- Tom Latham of New Zealand: 47 (2017-2021)
- Rachel Haynes of Australia: 40 (2013-2017)
The start of Captaincy brings many eventsIyer’s comeback saw him add two more unique entries to his name.At 31 years and 202 days, he became the oldest player to make his T20I captaincy for India, behind Shikhar Dhawan (35 years, 232 days) and Suryakumar Yadav (33 years, 70 days). Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul completed the top five.The oldest during India’s T20I captaincy
- 35y 232d – Shikhar Dhawan
- 33y 70d – Suryakumar Yadav
- 31y 202d – Shreyas Iyer*
- 30y 234d – Rohit Sharma
- 30y 143d – KL Rahul
The Mumbai batsman also became an experienced T20 captain before making his India captaincy in the format. After leading 114 T20 matches across the franchise in domestic cricket before Friday’s match, he surpassed Rohit Sharma (80), Virat Kohli (72), KL Rahul (42) and Rishabh Pant (30).Leading in most T20s during India’s first T20I captaincy
- 114 – Shreyas Iyer
- 80 – Rohit Sharma
- 72 – Virat Kohli
- 42 – KL Rahul
- 30 – Rishabh Pant
- 21 – Shikhar Dhawan
After winning the toss, Iyer chose to play at an undisclosed location in Belfast.“We are playing first. It is a new stage for us, and it is the first time for many of us to play here. Considering the conditions, the environment and the wicket, we decided to start,” he said.One of the most talked about things before the match was whether 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi would make it to the international stage and become India’s first international cricketer.However, Iyer confirmed that the youngster will wait.“Unfortunately, no,” he said when asked about Sooryavanshi’s inclusion.The head coach explained that the team’s composition led to his decision as he assured the youngster that his chance would come.