India’s stand-in head coach VVS Laxman lauded captain Shreyas Iyer in the dressing room after the 3-0 series win against Zimbabwe in Harare. Laxman revealed how Iyer was optimistic despite back-to-back series losses against Ireland and England. He feels that Iyer deserves a good chunk of the credit for the series win against Sikandar Raza-led side. He recalled the first meeting on Zimbabwe tour and how the team was able to achieve it with a cleansweep despite several key players missing from the squad.
“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,” Laxman said in a video posted by BCCI.tv.
"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.
"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 batter said.
After six losses on UK tour, the current T20 World Champions had lost their no.1 ranking in the format. After the two consecutive wins, they regained the no.1 spot, dethroning Harry Brook-led England.
Iyer also lauded Laxman for motivating and inspiring the team in the absence of Gautam Gambhir. He revealed how Laxman's words were relatable for everyone. he thanked every individual in the team for their efforts.
In the third T20I of the series, young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored a 49-ball 81. Later, cameos from skipper Iyer and Rinku Singh helped India post 192/5. Then, Mayank Yadav claimed a three-fer as Zimbabwe managed to post 157/7, losing the match by 35 runs in Harare.
Sooryavanshi shines with POTM and POTS
Sooryavanshi was adjudged 'Player of the match' and 'Player of the series' for scoring 151 runs at a strike rate of 196.10. He scored two half-centuries in the series. Only Ishan Kishan (145 runs) came close to his tally of runs.
Mayank takes most wickets
With the ball, comeback Mayank bagged five wickets at an average of 14.40. Prince Yadav was impressive as well in two games, taking four wickets at 7.25 apiece. However, he got injured and ruled out of the third T20I. In his debut T20I series Yash Thakur claimed four wickets at an average of 18.75.
Players who didn’t make their T20I debuts
Prabhsimran Singh and Harsh Dubey were two players who did not play a single match on the tour.
What's next for Iyer?
Iyer will lead India in the Asian Games 2026 in Japan in September second half. Before that, India may play a T20I series against either Bangladesh or Zimbabwe or maybe both. Once again, the Indian team may miss a few key players due to workload management and injuries.