India’s middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer was backed by many, including legendary Ricky Ponting to make comeback to the T20I squad. Iyer’s performances as a batter and as a captain in the last two Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons led to selectors making him the skipper after sacking an out-of-form Suryakumar Yadav. But, Iyer’s T20I captaincy tenure has got off to a horrible start. Ireland beat India 2-0 in the series and now England have beaten won two out of T20Is against the visitors. Iyer is yet to win a game as T20I captain and has been facing widespread criticism. Ahead of the fourth T20I of the series, Shreyas has got support from his sister Shresta. She called out critics, pointing out even legendary Indian players have lost games.
"There is Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli is a legend, Rohit Sharma is a legend, and Sachin Tendulkar is a legend, and even they have all lost plenty of matches too," Shresta told Filmygyan.
She doesn’t want Shreyas to be blamed for all the losses. She believes that the under-fire captain has a lot to give.
"But if you keep calling out Shreyas Iyer all the time, then maybe the problem lies with you, not him. I feel he is amazing. He has a very different personality overall, and I think he has a lot to offer, probably more than anyone else. I know he has so much to give," she said.
Shrestha made a bold prediction. She truly believes that Shreyas will become India's one of the best captains.
Shreyas’ run with bat as T20I captain
So far, Iyer has led India in five games. He has managed to score 123 runs at an average of 24.6 and strike rate of 141.37. He scored his maiden T20I fifty in the series opener against England but the second innings was washed out due to rain. The game ended in no result.
Shreyas left frustrated after 76 all out
Under Shreyas, India registered their second-lowest T20I score. India suffered a 125-run defeat at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on July 7. This is India’s biggest defeat by runs in the format. He also became the first Indian captain to stay winless after five T20Is. He termed the batting display as ‘atrocious’ in the post-match presentation. He expects batters to make more responsibility as India look to avoid a series defeat. The fourth T20I is scheduled to take place at Bristol’s County Ground on July 9.
In addition to the losses, Sanju Samson’s absence has led to controversy as well. Samson, who helped India win the T20 World Cup 2026, has been benched after three forgettable outings on UK tour. His replacement, the much-anticipated debut of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hasn’t paid dividends yet. He has lost his wicket after hitting a couple of sixes in the previous two games.