Shreyas Iyer has found himself on the wrong side of history after a very difficult start to his tenure as India’s T20I captain. Following a string of poor results, Iyer has become the first Indian captain ever to go winless in his first four matches in charge.
While seven other players have led India in four or more T20Is in the past, each of them managed to secure at least one victory during their opening four games.
Iyer’s nightmare run began during his maiden captaincy assignment in Ireland. Facing an Irish side that was dealing with several injury issues, India suffered an unexpected and historic 0-2 series whitewash in Belfast, losing the final match by just a single run.
Things did not improve when the team traveled to England. The first T20I of that series was completely washed out by rain, denying Iyer a chance to get his first win on the board. The pressure mounted further in the second match of the series, where another defeat sealed this unwanted, historic record for the under-fire captain.
Despite the major setback and heavy criticism, Iyer stated after the game that he remains positive and believes the team can only go upward from this low point.
What Happened in the 2nd T20I?
The second T20I in Manchester was a high-scoring affair that saw England beat India by four wickets. Batting first, India put up a strong total of 190 runs on the board, heavily driven by Shreyas Iyer himself, who top-scored with a clinical 68 off 47 balls. Axar Patel also made headlines by reaching a historic milestone, becoming the first Indian spinner to claim 100 T20I wickets.
India’s defense started perfectly. Arshdeep Singh bowled a magical opening over, and a spectacular flying catch by Varun Chakaravarthy meant both England openers were dismissed for ducks. However, India’s bowlers failed to defend the 191-target as the game slipped away in the middle and death overs.
England’s middle-order counter-attacked aggressively, exposing India’s bowling vulnerabilities on a good batting surface. They chased down the target comfortably in the final overs, leaving Shreyas Iyer with his third loss in four matches.
The 3rd T20I will take place on Tuesday July 7 at Trent Bridge from 10:00PM (IST) onwards.