‘It’s a great challenge’ – Shreyas Iyer’s reaction after being named India’s T20I captain

Shreyas Iyer (Source: Cricket Australia)

Newly announced T20I captain Shreyas Iyer had made his first reaction after being named India’s T20I captain ahead of the Ireland and England tours. The right-handed batter has replaced Suryakumar Yadav as the team’s skipper in the shortest format after his poor showing with the bat.

Iyer has credited his cricketing upbringing in Mumbai in shaping his winning mentality, due to the number of challenges he faced whilst growing up in the city.

“I obviously loved challenges growing up, especially being from Mumbai, where the cricket is pretty big and the competition is high. Every other kid on the street wants to represent Mumbai in cricket, and I faced a lot of challenges growing up. So my mindset was always about winning against everyone that I challenged,” Shreyas Iyer said at a promotional event in Mumbai, via India Today.

Iyer has also made a bold claim, stating that he will not come under anyone’s shadow while he is the captain of India’s T20I side. The 31-year-old, however, is excited by the prospect of leading his country on the international stage and has vowed not to change as a player and as a person even though he is now the captain.

“Whether it’s about learning or winning, that’s secondary, but the more fun you have growing up, the more competitive nature you have, especially while playing cricket or any other sport in general. I think that takes you to another level and you want to take that sort of responsibility. Even when I’ve got this job right now as captain, it’s a great challenge. At the same time, I don’t have to change my personality. I have to be the same person how I was before and not try to be someone else or be under someone’s shadow,” he added.

Iyer’s track record as captain in the Indian Premier League made him the obvious choice to replace Suryakumar in the lead role. He first led the Kolkata Knight Riders to their third title in 2024, before he took the Punjab Kings to only their second final in 2025.

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