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The BCCI announced the Test and ODI squad for the upcoming Afghanistan series on Tuesday, May 19 in Guwahati. On the expected lines, Shreyas Iyer was named as vice captain of the ODI side with Shubman Gill being the captain of both Test and the fifty overs. However, Punjab Kings (PBKS) Head coach Ricky Ponting believes that Shreyas is the hot favorite to take over the captaincy of T20I side from Suryakumar Yadav.
Ricky Ponting picks Shreyas Iyer as India's next T20I skipper
In an interaction with PTI, the former Australian skipper has claimed the PBKS skipper is one of the main contenders to take over the leadership role of the T20I side. Notably, Shreyas Iyer last played a T20I for India in December 2023.
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"I think there are several contenders, but he's (Shreyas Iyer) one of the main contenders as far as I'm concerned," said Ponting.
Ricky Ponting shed some light on Shreyas Iyer's growth as a player in the T20 format in the last two years as compared to his previous stats.
"I think we saw at the start of the tournament just how good a T20 player he is and where he's at, both on and off the field right now," added Ponting.
While reflecting on Shreyas Iyer's recent dip in form in the ongoing IPL 2026 season. The PBKS skipper has managed to amass only 88 runs which is very disappointing as per the standards set by him.
"I think he's a much more mature player than he's probably ever been in his whole career. I think he's completely on top of his game now. He's probably a good example of what I was talking about earlier; it's really hard to maintain a high level of consistency through 14 games of cricket. There are going to be times when you have your ups and downs as an individual and as a team," added Ponting.
While talking further, Ponting expressed faith in Shreyas Iyer's ability and claimed he would make a strong comeback with a big inning soon.
"I'm pretty sure he'll bounce back in this last game that we've got. If he stands up and makes a big score, then we're a good chance of winning the game," concluded Ponting.
Shreyas Iyer's strong IPL 2026 campaign
The right-handed batter has managed to lead PBKS from the front, scoring 396 runs in just 13 matches at a strong average of 44.00 with an explosive strike rate of 162.70. Iyer has managed to hit five half-centuries in the tournament, while his highest score of unbeaten 71 off 36 balls came against Delhi Capitals in a league stage game.
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