NEW DELHI: India’s T20I captain Shreyas Iyer received strong support from his sister, Shresta Iyer, after another disappointing result against England in the 3rd T20I, extending his difficult start as full-time captain of the team.In a video that has gone viral on social media, Shresta urged fans not to judge his brother only on recent defeats and expressed confidence that he will become one of India’s greatest captains.“Shubman Gill ho, Virat Kohli but… legend, Rohit Sharma legend…again, Sachin Tendulkar legend Ye logon ne bhi kaafi saare matches lose kiye hain. But agar aap sirf Shreyas Iyer, Shreyas Iyer hi bolte rahoge, toh perhaps aapko kuch to kuch to problem hai… but I feel it is amazing. He is a very different personality in general. I think it has a lot to give. Unke jitna aur kisi ke paas nahi hai. Unke paas itna kuch dene ke liye hai. Aur time coming bahut jaldi aane wala hai, woh time bahut jaldi aayega, jab ye bolenge ki Shreyas Iyer is one of India’s best captains. I believe it has already happened,” Shresta told Filmgyan.His remarks came after India suffered their biggest ever defeat by runs in T20Is, with England beating them by 125 runs in the third T20I. The heavy loss further compounded Iyer’s struggles since taking over as India’s full-time T20I captain in July.
A tough start for captain Iyer
Iyer’s first assignment as full-time captain came against Ireland, where India lost the two-match series 2-0.England’s ongoing series has yet to go India’s way. The opening T20I was washed out due to rain before India lost the second match by four wickets. The third T20I ended in a 125-run defeat, leaving India 0-2 down in the five-match series.The numbers also paint a worrying picture.In his last 12 T20 matches as captain, Iyer managed just one win while suffering 10 defeats. A match ended without a result.
India is making the fourth T20I to win
India now have little room for error in the series. Trailing 0-2, they have to win the fourth T20I against England at the County Ground in Bristol on Thursday to keep the five-match series alive.