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Many might have been surprised when the national selection committee announced Shreyas Iyer as the captain of India's T20I team, replacing Suryakumar Yadav, but Iyer himself was not.
As he knew at some point in his career, it was destined to happen. And it actually happened: Shreyas Iyer, who led three different teams to the final in the Indian Premier League, was elected as the captain of the national cricket team for the shortest format of the game.
Shreyas Iyer expressed his thoughts on being appointed as the national team captain
Ahead of India's first match against England in their ongoing tour of the United Kingdom, the newly appointed captain of the team expressed his feelings when the selectors announced his name as the next leader of the Men in Blue.
He was actually not surprised, as he kept his trust in all of the hard work and the past achievements he claimed in the past, in the Indian Premier League and in domestic cricket.
Whenever Shreyas Iyer represented India across the formats, he tried to play on a positive note. So he had the strong feeling that at some point in his career, his hard work would definitely pay off.
"Honestly speaking, it's not outlandish. I was expecting it at some point in time. I have done brilliantly in the previous IPL tournaments, whenever I have represented the country. So, it did not come to me as a surprise."
"But, at the same time, I feel it's a great opportunity for me to learn from everyone around who has been part of the T20 World Cup-winning squad, the team management, support staff, and also a few individuals who have played," Shreyas Iyer told BCCI.TV ahead of the India vs England 1st T20I of the 5-match series.
"I think it's icing on the cake:" Shreyas Iyer on getting India captaincy
For every aspiring cricketer, it is a dream to represent the country at the highest level of the game. Shreyas Iyer is like every other talented player who used to dream the same. Now, leading the national cricket team is like the icing on the cake.
"As a kid, you always dreamt of playing for the Indian team. Now, you are leading the Indian team. I think it's icing on the cake. It means the world. It's definitely the result of hard work that you have put in and the support you have received from fans, family and friends," he said in the same video.
Team India needs to bounce back against England
India will play England in the series opener at Chester-le-Street. Ahead of the match, the skipper said that the added pressure will motivate him to do better than before. The Indian cricket team will start the high-profile series after the shocking 0-2 series loss against Ireland.
As the full captain of the Indian cricket team, Iyer is yet to register his first win. Alongside leading the team, he will have to focus on his batting, as Suryakumar Yadav was dropped because of poor batting form.
