NEW DELHI: Shreyas IyerThe India captain’s T20I start has been far from ideal. After a surprise 2-0 series defeat against Ireland, India were thrashed 4-0 by England in the five-match T20I series. The latest clash came on Saturday, when India lost the fifth and final T20I by 56 runs at The Rose Bowl in Southampton.The defeat also cost 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, the former cricketer in India Abhishek Nayar believe it is too early to question Iyer’s future as captain.
“Give him the freedom to build his own team”
Nayar said that a new captain should be given enough time and freedom to train the team according to his plans.“When you give someone the mantle of taking over from a champion side, you also want to give them the freedom to pick their side. The first time you become captain, you don’t have the freedom to say, ‘This is where I want to take the team’. First manage the team and then see what you have to do with it,” Nayar told JioHotstar.He feels the defeats against Ireland and England helped Iyer realize what changes are needed.“Post these two series, he will have time to reflect, understand what he demands from this team, how he needs to play and what he needs from the support staff. So, it will be hard to say that the future of Shreyas Iyer is in danger as a captain.”
“Don’t judge too quickly”
Nayar said Iyer should be allowed to make his team before people start judging his leadership.He pointed to England captain Harry Brook, England Test captain Ben Stokes, and former Indian captains Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as examples of leaders who have been trusted to build their teams.“It was a really tough series, and you can point the finger at Shreyas Iyer, but the most rational thing is to understand what he demands from this team. Give him the ownership to feel that this is his team, as Harry Brook did now, Ben Stokes did with the England Test team, or Rohit Sharma did for India when he was the captain, or Virat Kohli did a better place.“
“No panic button”
Nayar also reminded fans that even the current ODI captain Shubman Gill did not have immediate success when he took over the top spot.I believe Iyer needs time to settle into the role before his captaincy can be properly assessed.“Even Shubman Gill, when he became the ODI captain, he didn’t win a few series before. When you put yourself in, you build the confidence and the team you imagine. It’s still early days, there is no panic button, but there needs to be clarity as to where this team is going,” he added.With two series defeats in a row, Iyer’s captaincy has come under scrutiny, but Nayar believes patience – not panic – is the right approach as India begin a new phase in T20 cricket.