‘Tough Pill To Swallow’: Shreyas Iyer Reflects On India T20I Captaincy Struggles

India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer admitted that the early setbacks of his captaincy stint were a “tough pill to swallow”, but said maintaining balance and embracing difficult situations had helped him move forward.

Iyer took over from Suryakumar Yadav after India won the T20 World Cup for a record third time in March. His tenure began with back-to-back away series defeats against Ireland (0-2) and England (1-4).

India, however, have now secured Iyer’s maiden series win as captain after defeating Afghanistan by seven wickets in the second T20I on Tuesday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

“It was a tough pill to swallow at the start, but the journey is always going to be a rollercoaster,” Iyer told the broadcaster after the match.

“You have to be in equilibrium as much as possible and see to it that you enjoy the moment and not think much about what has happened in the past,” he added.

Iyer said the team had demanded another comprehensive performance after the opening match and was pleased with the response.

Sanju Samson provided the fireworks with a blistering 57 off 22 balls, while Nitish Kumar Reddy claimed three wickets as India produced another dominant display.

With the series already sealed, Iyer said the final T20I would be used to test different combinations and give opportunities to players who have been waiting on the sidelines.

Reddy, meanwhile, said he was feeling comfortable with the extra pace he has developed, crediting his work at the Centre of Excellence. He said the additional speed was important to his ambition of becoming a top all-rounder.

Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran admitted his side struggled in the powerplay and lacked the intent needed to build a 200-plus total. He said Afghanistan must improve its approach if it wants to compete with the biggest teams in international cricket.