‘Support each other through thick and thin’: Iyer’s message before captaincy debut

Ahead of his T20I captaincy debut against England in Belfast, Shreyas Iyer urged his squad to build a supportive family culture and "play like lions." The series also spotlights 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who faces a historic debut

Belfast: Shreyas Iyer called on his teammates to build a strong team culture and play fearless cricket as he prepares to captain India for the first time in T20Is, urging the squad to support one another and “play like Lions” ahead of the five-match series against England.

Speaking at a team huddle before India’s practice session in Belfast on Saturday, ahead of the series opener on Sunday, Iyer set the tone and explained his leadership approach after World Cup-winning skipper Suryakumar Yadav was replaced by the head coach Gautam Gambhir.

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“Let’s try to build a solid culture going forward. My first opportunity to captain the Indian team was definitely an honour and privilege, as Gauti bhai mentioned. It’s a great respect as well to be leading the country,” Iyer said during the practice session.

“So going forward, I want to create a culture where all of us are protecting, supporting each other through thick and thin, and more importantly, when we are out here, have as much fun as possible.

“It’s a great opportunity, and this is a family. Let’s play like Lions and approach each and every game like we are going to win it and play to the best of our abilities. Have an atmosphere where we are uplifting each other and enjoying each other’s success.”

The speech provided a peek into the kind of culture that Iyer would want to enforce now that the Indian team is stepping into a new chapter with him at the helm.

The Indian team also had extensive practice in Belfast prior to the opening game, though a majority of eyes had their gaze fixed on 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He could become one of the youngest Indian players ever to represent the country at the international stage, and spent about an hour batting at the nets under the supervision of Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.

While the emerging Vaibhav caught most attention, it is Iyer who marks one of the biggest transitions in India’s T20 team in recent times. The 31-year-old has established a strong captaincy profile in franchise cricket, having guided Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings to finals, and most recently, the IPL trophy with Kolkata Knight Riders in the previous season under Gambhir’s coaching guidance.

Following the unsuccessful experiment of appointing Shubman Gill as vice-captain, the selectors and management have turned to Iyer as the ideal replacement for Suryakumar in terms of leadership. The 31-year-old will certainly have his task cut out as India had raised the bar quite high in the T20 World Cup in their last cycle, and the expectations from Iyer will be pretty high from the beginning of the series.