After the high of second consecutive ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title, The Indian team fell flat on Ireland tour, losing the series 2-0. The defeat under new captain Shreyas Iyer drew widespread criticism. The new India T20I skipper Iyer is feeling at home or happy with the vibe in Durham ahead of the series opener against England. He pointed out shortcomings in Belfast ground where Indian batters were not up to the mark. As a captain, he also felt that setting the field was not something he was used to due to the ground’s dimensions.
"I feel it's completely different because the Belfast ground definitely wasn't a stadium. The outfield... wasn't even. And the dimensions also [were] a bit squarish. So, cutting the singles, cutting the doubles, especially when you're fielding in the outfield, the angles... as a captain, setting the field, it felt a bit outlandish because we're not used to it,” Iyer said in the pre-match press conference.
"Over here... the ground is flat, and you feel the vibe, you feel the stadium vibe, the crowd would be intense as well. We've played in such conditions, such situations before."
However, he described the series defeat to Ireland as 'depressing' and admitted being outclassed in all departments of the game. He was impressed with how they used the dimensions of the ground to good effect and exploited the conditions.
Iyer insists that the England series is a new chapter for them. He is aware of the dimensions of England grounds and has familiarity with conditions.
Iyer struggles with bat, T20I record vs England
Iyer had disappointing returns with the bat on his T20I comeback, replacing Suryakumar Yadav as captain. He denied the burden of captaincy affecting his batting. Despite registering scores of 3 and 10, he said that he is timing the ball well in the nets. He has backed himself to come good on the England tour.
The last time Iyer played a T20I in England was in 2022. In one innings, he scored 28 runs from 23 balls, including two sixes. Overall, he has played six T20Is against England. From five innings, he has 149 runs at an average of 37.25 and strike rate of 140.56. He has a fifty against England in the format as well.
Will Sooryavanshi play?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is yet to make his T20I debut as India team management doesn’t want to tinker with the existing opening combination. Iyer was tight-lipped over whether Sooryavanshi will make his much-awaited T20I debut in the series opener. He lauded the prodigy but chose not to reveal his team combination, unlike England who announced their playing XI on the eve of the game.