Mumbai: “Great start as captain,” Shreyas Iyer said in a self-deprecating manner after India lost the first T20I to Ireland in Belfast on Friday.
Great start it wasn’t, but Iyer wasn’t one to get flustered. He had remained unfazed when Punjab Kings, after looking unbeatable in the first half of IPL 2026, went on to lose the race to playoffs. Those results didn’t discourage the national selectors from handing him the India T20 captaincy replacing Suryakumar Yadav.
Iyer being his own man as a leader is frequently spoken about in the PBKS dressing room. That’s creditable when one considers that he works with Ricky Ponting as head coach, a shrewd tactician who carries a big reputation.
One could see it in Iyer’s moves on his first day leading India at Belfast. There was early help from the surface and considerable bounce. Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana were troubling the batters. Iyer bowled them through the entire Powerplay.
That was Iyer exercising the aggressive option. Those who have played under him say that’s his default strategy. Of course, there is an inherent risk in every attacking move. It’s one thing for a strong bowling side like Gujarat Titans to use out their new ball bowlers in the Powerplay, quite another to do it while lacking bowling depth like India did in an eventually humbling 34-run defeat.
Back-up seamers Prasidh Krishna and Shivam Dube weren’t death-over specialists. Iyer still chose to go all out in the early overs. He was perhaps confident Ireland wouldn’t be able to test them enough. Things didn’t pan out right. Iyer later said India ended up conceded 40 runs more than they should have.
The other key call Iyer took was to delay bringing in his sixth bowler, Washington Sundar, till the 16th over. The off-spinner conceded 19 runs in his only over. He could have been utilised for an over or two immediately after Powerplay. Iyer wanted to double down on pacers to exploit the assistance on offer.
It’s a strategy we have seen Iyer use in IPL. On a pace-friendly pitch in Dharamsala against Delhi Capitals, Iyer went all out using pacers. Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was not used, Iyer perhaps also reluctant to use him because two strong left-handers were at the crease.
There’s an impression that Iyer is less trusting of spinners, which may not be entirely accurate. The 31-year-old showed as KKR skipper that he wasn’t going to not utilise Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine to the fullest. But Chakravarthy won’t always be fit for India and Iyer tends to use finger spinners more conservatively.
Analysing risk-reward is a constant in T20 cricket. Those who get their bets right the most stand out as strategists. In some teams, decisions are heavily data driven, in others where the coach has a stronger say. Going by Iyer’s record, he is likely to be his own boss on the field. It is here that India head coach Gautam Gambhir may have to be the one to pivot his working style.
Surya, more often than not, would rely heavily on spin. He would frontload bowlers in the Powerplay less frequently. Tactically, the Surya-Gambhir duo was usually on the same page. India did not lose a single bilateral series in the last cycle. They won the World Cup too.
Iyer and Gambhir respecting each other’s boundaries would be a great way to start. The advantage is they should know what to expect, having worked together in IPL 2024 as captain-mentor for champions KKR.
As a T20 coach, Gambhir enjoys a stellar record. To chase more wins, Iyer may need to be amenable to different ideas. How the two strong characters complement each other will be closely watched while India’s T20 team strives to deliver a triple treat over the next two years.
