India Sports Tribune

HYDERABAD, INDIA: India have made the baffling choice of naming Shreyas Iyer as their T20I captain on the back of his performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL). That they have done so after dropping the incumbent Suryakumar Yadav altogether from the squad makes for grim reading. Yadav, who led the side to their third T20 World Cup title earlier this year, became the first captain ever to be dropped after reaching such highs.

Iyer, on the other hand, lost his place in the Indian T20I setup in 2023 and will make a comeback to the side directly as its leader. In the meantime, he led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the IPL title in 2024 and made a sparkling start with Punjab Kings (PBKS) this season before fizzling out. The latter hides a startling revelation – PBKS won six games in a row before losing the same number on the trot.

This late downfall prevented PBKS from making it to the playoffs this season, and a solitary win over Lucknow Super Giants in their final fixture (in which Shreyas Iyer scored 101*) was of no consolation. While Iyer’s captaincy was lauded at first, the blame was put solely on his and head coach Ricky Ponting’s feet when the PBKS campaign reached such a disastrous conclusion.

Shreyas Iyer’s biggest challenge – no overseas players in the India XI

One of the greatest difficulties that Shreyas Iyer will have to deal with as the India captain is the presence of eleven homegrown players. In the IPL, both with KKR and PBKS, he has only had to shape a side that features seven Indian players. The fact that four overseas stars play vital roles in deciding the outcomes of matches cannot be neglected, and that is a luxury Iyer will not have when donning blue.

This is one of the biggest hindrances to Iyer’s perceived success as captain at the international level. The combination of a team takes a toll for the worse when only homegrown players have to be selected, since one does not have the comfort of overseas talents to fall back on. This is an issue that head coach Gautam Gambhir, another example of India’s short-sighted nature, has to address with Shreyas Iyer.

Another major challenge that Iyer will have to deal with is the lack of an ‘impact player’ at the international level. In the IPL, the presence of this ‘impact player’ allows captains and coaches to build playing XIs without taking conditions into much consideration, content with the idea that an extra player can always be called upon during times of crisis.

There is no ‘impact player’ rule in international cricket

The rise of the ‘impact player’ has also diluted the skillset needed for an all-rounder, and Shreyas Iyer, adept at the IPL, may have to re-learn how to balance his Indian playing XI the hard way. Without having the safety of a substitute to bank upon during challenging times, Iyer will have to be sharp in understanding pitch conditions and game scenarios without blinking twice.

There are, however, some positives behind this appointment, such as the two Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophies Shreyas Iyer won as Mumbai’s captain in 2022-23 and 2024-25. Having such experience under his belt will be critical for Iyer’s development as India’s captain, especially with the cycle of a T20 World Cup on the radar. But first, he will have to prove his mettle under gloomy skies in Britain, where India will tour to play against England and Ireland later this month.

ALSO READ – The first of his kind: May no one else share Suryakumar Yadav’s fate

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