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India National Cricket Team have taken a surprising but bold step by appointing Shreyas Iyer as their new T20I captain. The decision has left many shocked because Shreyas Iyer has not played T20Is for India since December 2023, yet he has now suddenly got the captaincy.
Iyer will now be seen in action for the Men in Blue in the upcoming two-match T20I series in Ireland, starting on June 26, followed by the white-ball series in England and the Asian Games 2026.
Fearless mindset and tactical brilliance behind Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy call
The Indian chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, said that they backed Iyer because of his fearless attitude, self-belief, conviction, clarity in thinking, and tactical smarts, as well as his strong leadership record across different teams and tournaments, including IPL and domestic cricket.
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Iyer has led Mumbai to the Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in 2024-25, guided SoBo Unicorns to a strong run in the T20 Mumbai league, taken Delhi Capitals to an IPL final, and also led Punjab Kings to another IPL final. He even went on to win an IPL trophy with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Shashank Singh reveals Shreyas Iyer’s smart match reading skills
One of the biggest strengths of Shreyas Iyer is his tactical thinking during matches. His Punjab Kings (PBKS) teammate and vice-captain Shashank Singh shared about how Iyer reads situations quickly and makes quick decisions based on what is happening on the field rather than sticking to the plans.
Recalling one of the IPL 2026 matches against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Shashank said Iyer made a clever bowling change that worked perfectly for PBKS, showing how he trusts instinct.
Shashank Singh was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo: “Shreyas felt that on that wicket, with my pace, Josh Inglis would find it difficult to access cow corner or deep midwicket, and would instead look to hit straighter. When you watch the dismissal back, that's exactly what happened. The shot went straight back over my head, and he placed himself perfectly. It was his move.”
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When Shreyas Iyer took responsibility as captain
Meanwhile, Shashank Singh shared that he dropped some important catches, which affected the match for Punjab Kings in the IPL 2026, but Shreyas Iyer never scolded him or blamed him.
The PBKS batter said that Shreyas supported him, and made sure he was okay, taking all the heat as the captain and all these qualities make him an ideal captain for any team.
Shashank further shared, “I dropped many catches; a few of those catches changed the course of the match also. But not even once did Shreyas blame me. He came to my room later that day to ask if everything was alright and [whether] I needed some help.
Not once did he make me feel like a culprit. Because when you're losing and you're also captain, you have to take the heat as a leader. There are pressures. To be able to absorb all that for the team is something he has done amazingly well.”
