Game time after injury hiccups: Full strength India to take on Afghanistan in first T20I

NEW DELHI: It has been a rough induction as T20I captain for Shreyas Iyer, who returned winless from the tour of Ireland and England in June-July. However, the first T20I against Afghanistan here on Sunday will be the first time he can boast a first-choice team to work with.Iyer’s captaincy came in bizarre circumstances after the selectors decided to unceremoniously drop T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav. Since then, Indian cricket has been plagued by injury problems, with the BCCI even inviting Iyer to a crucial assessment meeting earlier this month.“It (injury to players) is not frustrating. We have to understand how many matches a player plays continuously. He will definitely get injured in some way because the intensity is quite high,” Iyer said. “Obviously it certainly affects the combination. The only thing you can control is who is available on the day and we have to give that particular player that confidence. The back-up is just as important to the team. We know they can deliver as well,” he added.It will also be the first time that Iyer will use the services of pace boss Jasprit Bumrah, who is on a long hiatus. “Once a player comes back from injury, it is important that he gets more game time. Bumrah has played so much cricket over the years. He is well experienced,” Iyer said.

Iyer says the team is excited to interact with Olympic athletes

This three-match series is basically a warm-up before India fly to Japan for the Asian Games on September 19. Iyer said the team would be excited to spend time with athletes from other disciplines.“It’s definitely an exciting time for me. It will be my first time (at a multi-sport event). A couple of players have already been to the last Asian Games. The first game we play will be against Japan, so it will be historic. Sharing a relationship with hockey players and other Olympic players is exciting. We will definitely go and cheer on our athletes whenever we have time.”