Indian captain Shreyas Iyer insisted he is ready to embrace the challenges of leading the national T20I side, saying he always believed the opportunity would come after consistent performances for both his IPL franchise and the country. Iyer, who has been named India’s new T20I captain in place of Suryakumar Yadavsuffered a difficult 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 skipper remains focused on learning from the experience while building a new identity for the team. “Honestly speaking, it is not strange. I expected it at some point of time. I have done brilliantly in previous IPL tournaments, whenever I have represented the country. So, it didn’t come as a surprise to me. But at the same time, I feel it’s a great opportunity for me to learn from everyone who was part of the T20 World Cup winning team, the team management, the support staff and even a few individuals who played,” Iyer told BCCI.TV. The 31-year-old admitted that captaining India is 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 the chance to lead the Indian team. I think it’s icing on the cake. It means the world,” he said. Reflecting on the journey that earned him the leadership role, Iyer credited the support system around him, acknowledging the hard work behind his growth. “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 the feelings in words.” Iyer also outlined the aggressive brand of cricket he wants his team to play, saying he hopes to instill a fearless mentality that puts opponents under pressure from the moment India step on the field. “I just like to be a threat to the opponents. I want to have that aggressive and fearless approach when I step on the field. I want my troops to gather around that mentality where the opponents are a little intimidated by our personality and appearance on the field. It’s like a war for me when he gets on the field. I want to win every match and that is the mentality I want to imbibe in every individual. “Relentless, relentless and determined. No pressure, but at the same time, it’s going to be challenging. All I want to do is embrace the challenge. I want it to be challenging, because I thrive under pressure,” he said. Speaking of the head coach Gautam GambhirTeam message, Iyer revealed that the team is treating this phase as the beginning of a new chapter despite India’s recent T20 World Cup triumph. “Gauti bhai said in one of his interviews that we were world champions. This is a new paragraph that starts in everything where I am the leader of the team and we start from zero again.” The captain also reflected on India’s disappointing tour of Ireland, admitting the results were not as expected 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 in new conditions. Most of the players playing for the first time in England and Ireland too, so it’s also a learning curve for them. Also we have to build that camaraderie where everyone starts to support and trust again.” India’s batting has struggled throughout the Ireland series, with the top order failing to provide solid starts in either match. However, the bowling attack showed encouraging signs, especially through debutant Prince Yadav, Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh. With England presenting a significantly tougher challenge, Iyer will now look to record his first series win as India’s T20I captain as he deploys the fearless and relentless brand of cricket he believes can take the team forward.
