Shreyas Iyer needs to shake off the comparisons with Suryakumar. Will a NZ tour help?

Former India batting coach Abhishek Nayar believes a successful tour of New Zealand could help Shreyas Iyer match India’s former T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, who claimed a win overseas would earn the Punjab Kings skipper more respect as a leader.

Iyer’s captaincy has been under scrutiny ever since he took over the T20I team after Suryakumar led India to the T20 World Cup title earlier this year. While India had some success under Iyer, their results were mixed, with defeats against Ireland and England followed by wins in Zimbabwe, the Asia Cup in Japan and against Afghanistan at home.

India’s recent pentathlon the series against the West Indies ended in a 2–2 draw, with the final match washed out by rain. Iyer also began his captaincy with questions about his batting, especially his middle-order scores. He scored 590 runs at an average of 34.7 and a strike rate of 152.45, incl a smooth hundred in the series opener against the West Indies in Lucknow. However, he failed to cross the 50-run mark in the next four matches.

Nayar, who has worked closely with Iyer, believes that the comparison with Suryakumar must take into account the difference in the conditions under which the two captains led India.

“It’s not whether he’s worthy or not compared to Surya because at that time India played a lot of series in India. They didn’t travel much,” Nayar told JioHotstar’s ‘Out or Not Out’.

“After Shreyas Iyer took over as captain, they went to England and now they are going to New Zealand. So a lot of T20Is were played away from home, in Zimbabwe and Japan. I remember before the T20 World Cup we played a lot more at home and in sub-continental conditions than away. So that comparison is off.”

India’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand begins in Christchurch on October 22, with the remaining matches scheduled in Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton. The series ends on November 1, offering Iyer an opportunity to secure a major result away from home.

Nayar believes a win in New Zealand would be particularly valuable for Iyer’s position in the team, given the challenges of adapting to unfamiliar conditions.

“Whenever you go to New Zealand and win in foreign conditions, I think the captain will feel he’s in control of the team and he’ll gain the respect of everyone around him because that’s where you’re judged the most,” he said.

“So if you win, as they say, it’s a star on your chest to go to New Zealand and win the series. It didn’t happen in England, but it happened here if it happens. So for him personally, it will be one of those ‘I can win abroad’ things as captain.”

INCREASED SELF-CONFIDENCE

Former India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara echoed Nayar’s assessment and pointed to the confidence that overseas success can bring to the team across formats.

“When you go to New Zealand and beat the New Zealand team, it’s a big achievement. Performing well in overseas conditions for the Indian team in any format, be it an ODI, T20I or a Test match, will boost your confidence,” Pujara said.

“If you do well there as a captain or as a team, your confidence rises that you can perform well not only in Indian conditions but anywhere in the world.”

India squad for New Zealand T20I series

Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwarde Kulthy, Vardava

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