Captain of India Shreyas Iyer insisted he was ready to take on the challenges of leading the national T20I side, saying he always believed the opportunity would come after consistent performances for his IPL franchise and country. Iyer, who was named India’s new T20I captain instead Suryakumar Yadavsuffered a rough start to his tenure as India suffered a 2-0 series defeat to Ireland in Belfast. However, ahead of the five-match T20I series against England, the captain remains focused on learning from the experience as he builds a fresh identity for the team. “Honestly, it’s not strange. I expected it at some point. I’ve been great in previous IPL tournaments, whenever I’ve represented the country. So it didn’t surprise me. But at the same time, I feel it’s a great opportunity for me to learn from everyone around me who was part of the T20 World Cup winning team, the team management, the support staff and also a few individuals who played,” Iyer told BCCI.TV. The 31-year-old admitted that captaining India was the fulfillment of a childhood dream and described the responsibility as one of the proudest moments of his career. “As a kid, you always dreamed of playing for the Indian team. Now you get a chance to lead the Indian team. I think that’s the icing on the cake. It means the world,” he said. Reflecting on the journey that landed him the leadership role, Iyer credited the support system surrounding him while acknowledging the hard work behind his rise. “It’s definitely a result of the hard work you’ve put in and the support you’ve received from fans, family and friends. It’s hard to explain feelings with words.” Iyer also described the aggressive type of cricket he wants his team to play, saying he hopes to instill a fearless mindset that puts opponents under pressure from the moment India step on the field. “I just like to be threatening to opponents. I want to have that aggressive, fearless approach when I step on the field. I want my troops to rally around that mindset where opponents are a little bit intimidated by our personality and appearance on the field. It’s like a war for me when I step on the field. I want to win every game and that’s the mindset I want to instill in every individual. “Relentless, ruthless and determined. No pressure, but at the same time, it will be challenging. All I want to do is accept the challenge. I want it to be challenging, because I thrive under pressure,” he said. Speaking of the head coach Gautam GambhirIn a team message, Iyer revealed that the team is treating this phase as the beginning of a new chapter despite India’s recent triumph in the T20 World Cup. “Gauti bhai mentioned in one of his interviews that we were world champions. This is a new paragraph that starts in full where I am the team leader and we are starting from scratch again.” The captain also reflected on India’s disappointing tour of Ireland, admitting the results fell short of expectations but insisting the series offered valuable lessons, especially for players experiencing English and Irish conditions for the first time. “Definitely not the start we wanted, but a lot to learn coming into new conditions. Most of the players are also playing in England and Ireland for the first time, so it’s a learning curve for them too. We also have to build that camaraderie where everyone starts supporting and trusting each other again.” India’s batting struggled throughout the Ireland series, with the top order failing to provide solid starts in either game. However, the bowling attack showed encouraging signs, particularly through debutant Prince Yadav, Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh. With England presenting a significantly tougher challenge, Iyer will now look to register his first series win as India’s T20I captain as he implements a fearless and ruthless brand of cricket that he believes can take the team forward.
