India on Sunday completed the 3-0 whitewash of Zimbabwe as they beat the African nation in the third and final T20I game at the Harare Sports Club by 35 runs. The series win was very important for new captain Shreyas Iyer, who had a baptism by fire in Ireland and England in the last few weeks, losing six out of seven T20I games with one being a washout.
On Monday, the BCCI posted a video on X in which the post-match dressing room meeting was recorded. Interim coach VVS Laxman and Iyer addressed the bunch. The thing that struck one was the extraordinary camaraderie between the two. The new captain spoke of the interim coach in glowing terms. In England and Ireland, regular coach Gautam Gambhir led the team but they kept losing one match after another. Because of that there was no such heartwarming moment on those two tours. Team India later lost the ODI series too. So, it was a welcome change, seeing happiness in the camp and the interim coach and the captain showing great goodwill towards each other.
“And thank you to VVS Laxman sir, as well, for motivating us and inspiring each and every day when we stepped onto the field. I think everything that you mentioned was apt, and we could relate to it. So thank you so much, and thank you to each and every individual,” Iyer said after India (192/5) beat Zimbabwe (157/7).
It was Laxman who addressed the gathering first. He was in a great mood. “We set out to win the series. That was what we aspired to do. I would like to congratulate Shreyas because he had a rough start to his captaincy career but the way he came back, and right from the first day, when he joined us, one day before the first game, he was very optimistic. He was, in fact, looking forward to playing with all of you, with a new group of players.
“We know that only 4 or 5 [players] were there in England who joined us on this tour. But he was so confident. And I think a lot of credit for this victory should be given to the captain. The way he encouraged each of you.
“We had one thing which we wanted to achieve. We wanted to exhibit the winner’s mindset. If you remember, the first meeting we had, you know, before the match, the first match, we asked the team: can we display the winner’s mindset? Through the three matches, each one of you displayed that, so congratulations on that,” the former middle-order batsman said.
Laxman later also posted an inspiring message on X. “Series victories are a reflection of the standards a team sets every single day. Proud of the commitment, resilience and selflessness shown by this group throughout the tour. Congrats to the players and thank you to the support staff for their unwavering dedication. I am confident this team will move forward with a hunger to keep improving and a determination to uphold the highest standards. God bless,” he wrote.
India’s next T20I assignment is in October at home against the West Indies.
