Harare [Zimbabwe], July 26 (ANI): India captain Shreyas Iyer credited the team’s fearless brand of cricket and the maturity shown by its young players after guiding the side to a 3-0 clean sweep over Zimbabwe, describing his maiden T20I series win as skipper as a “special moment.”
India completed the whitewash with a 35-run victory in the third and final T20I at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday, successfully defending 192/5 after restricting Zimbabwe to 157/7.
Reflecting on his first series triumph since taking charge of the T20I side, Iyer praised the energy and intent displayed by the squad throughout the tour.
“As we saw how fearless they are, they are a young bunch of players who have been showing tremendous energy on the field and the intent, especially when you play back-to-back games. To have such kind of energy is what I require as a captain and as a team, and they could deliver today as well, back-to-back games. So, yeah, a special feeling for me to win the series over here in Zimbabwe. Clinical, 3-0. So it’s going to be a special moment,” said Iyer during the post-match presentation.
Asked about his role as one of the senior players in a relatively young squad, Iyer said experience was spread across the group, and his priority was to keep the players relaxed.
“I think if you see the record, I’ve played almost a similar amount of matches compared to all of them, which is around 55 to 60. So, I mean, experience-wise, there are many players who have tremendous experience because nowadays they play in the IPL as well,” he said.
“So, yeah, they are special talent and the best you could get out of them, it’s beneficial for the team as well. So every time I step onto the field, I see to it that how I can make sure that they are comfortable and relaxed because that’s when you can get the best out of them,” he added.
India’s convincing victory was built on another sparkling innings from 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who smashed 81 off 49 balls with eight fours and four sixes to propel the visitors to 192/5 after they opted to bat first.
Ishan Kishan chipped in with 29, Iyer made 27 off 18 deliveries, and Rinku Singh provided the finishing flourish with 25 off just 14 balls.
Zimbabwe’s chase never gathered momentum after Yash Thakur dismissed Brian Bennett with the first ball of the innings before removing Dion Myers and Sikandar Raza in a superb opening spell. Mayank Yadav starred with 3/29, while Ravi Bishnoi and Ashok Sharma claimed a wicket each. Ryan Burl fought a lone battle with an unbeaten 54, but the hosts eventually fell 35 runs short.
Iyer said it was encouraging to see different players taking responsibility in every department.
“Absolutely, it’s very much required, especially as a captain, you see boys stepping up, taking that responsibility and winning the games for you. That’s what you need going forward as well. So we have created the momentum right now, and it’s important that we are consistent with our approach and attitude,” said Iyer.
It’s going to be challenging going forward as well, but the amount of calmness that we possess and if we show the same amount of courage going forward, I think it’s going to be great for Indian cricket,” he added.
The skipper added that the team had focused on improving with every game rather than becoming preoccupied with results.
“I think the standard that we set right from match one, if we keep levelling up or rather than worrying too much about the results, all we need to do is think about going a notch above every time you step out on the field,” he said.
“And that’s what we kept on giving the message to all the players, saying that it doesn’t matter what situation we are facing; it’s important that we are playing to the best of our abilities and seeing to it that we take the team through,” Iyer concluded.
The series win marked India’s third successive T20I victory after enduring six consecutive defeats on the tours of Ireland and England, giving Iyer a winning start to his captaincy stint. (ANI)
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