Shreyas Iyer finally ended his wait for a win as India’s T20I captain after guiding the side to a convincing seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the opening match of the three-match series in Harare on Thursday. The result marked Shreyas’ first win since taking over from Suryakumar Yadav earlier this year. India had endured a tough run under his leadership, starting with a 2-0 series defeat to Ireland before suffering a 4-0 drubbing against England in a five-match T20I series. Former India opener Sadagopan Ramesh said the celebrations after Zimbabwe’s win were understandable given the team’s recent struggles, insisting the win will be a big relief for the captain. “Many say that India should not be so excited just for a win over Zimbabwe. But when you are hungry for a win for so long in T20Is, even the leftover food will taste like a wedding meal. Shreyas Iyer will be relieved, considering India’s fall under his captaincy. It would have reached a point where a video of Ram was enough of a win for him.” Instagram. Ramesh also reserved praise for VVS Laxman, who is serving as India’s interim coach for the Zimbabwe tour. He credited the former India batsman for always delivering positive results whenever he takes charge of the national team. “VVS Laxman also deserves great praise. India behaves well whenever he is the head coach. Under him, India always seems to whitewash the opponents, even at a time when other teams are constantly whitewashing India otherwise. It has come to the point that India only needs a victory of any kind and hence its elation after beating even Zimbabwe,” he added. India’s win was further highlighted by a historic knock from teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The 15-year-old blasted his way to a maiden international half-century in just 18 balls, becoming the youngest player to score a fifty in men’s international cricket. Sooryavanshi reached the milestone at the age of 15 years and 118 days, eclipsing the previous record held by Sachin Tendulkar. The great batsman was 16 years and 213 days old when he registered his first international fifty against Pakistan in a Test at Faisalabad in 1989.
