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Ricky Ponting, the head coach of Team India, is replacing Gautam Gambhir! This sounds odd, but this is exactly what the former England captain Michael Vaughan thought as he heard Shreyas Iyer as the captain for India in T20Is.
It is widely known that Iyer and Ponting share a very close bond with each other, and they together gained notable success in the Indian Premier League (IPL), first with the Delhi Capitals (DC), later with the Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Ricky Ponting to replace Gautam Gambhir?
As Shreyas Iyer and the former Australia skipper have a good relationship, Vaughan jokingly said that he had started to imagine Ricky Ponting in place of Gautam Gambhir.
However, this did not happen. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed Iyer as their captain for the shortest format of the game, in place of the 2026 T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav, ahead of the ongoing series against Ireland, and Gautam Gambhir remains as the head coach of the team.
Michael Vaughan praises BCCI's guts for snubbing Suryakumar Yadav
The former England captain mentions that every other nation across the world will think before dropping their World Cup-winning captain from the side. But as India has a massively talented pool of cricketers, BCCI showed the courage to drop Suryakumar Yadav and named Shreyas Iyer as the captain, who last featured in the format almost a couple of years ago before facing Ireland in Belfast on June 26.
"When I heard it for the first time, I presumed Ricky Ponting would be the coach. Those two come as a pair. He is a very good captain, very good player, and that tells you how much depth and strength you have in Indian cricket, particularly in T20, when you are dropping the captain who just lifted the T20 World Cup. I'm not sure that would happen in any other country," Michael Vaughan said on Ajinkya Rahane's YouTube channel.
Iyer's first match as the Team India captain ended far from expectations as Ireland gifted the Men in Blue a 34-run defeat, last night. It is only a 2-match series, so India will have to win the remaining match at any cost to make the scoreline 1-1.
India will be the favorite against England
Despite the shocking result, Michael Vaughan considers Iyer and Co. as the favorites when they face England next month. Mentioning Team India as the best in the World, the former cricketer opines that India will be the favorite to win the series against England.
"Great opportunity for Iyer, a couple of years away from the next T20 World Cup. He'll know he's got a wonderful team to work with in the England tour, and you have to say that India are going to be the favorites for the series; they always are, they are the best team in the world. England will have to produce some good cricket to compete with them," he further opined through the same video.
🔴I Thought Ricky Ponting Was Going to Be Coach of Team India – Vaughan on Shreyas Iyer's Appointment 🤯
— Sam (@cricsam02) June 27, 2026
🎙️: When I heard Shreyas Iyer was named captain, I assumed Ricky Ponting would be the coach too—they seem to come as a pair.
- Shreyas is a brilliant captain and player. But… pic.twitter.com/1XQDYUJ3EU
