IRE v IND 2026: “Captaining the Indian team is easier as everyone already knows their role”- Mohd. Kaif on Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer replaces Suryakumar Yadav as India's T20I captain.

Mohammad Kaif, a former India cricketer, has shared his thoughts on Shreyas Iyer ahead of his India T20I captaincy debut in the first match of the two-game series against Ireland. These games will be played on June 26 and 28 at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast.

Iyer will be replacing Suryakumar Yadav, who won the T20 World Cup 2026 and didn’t lose a single bilateral series during his captaincy tenure.

In contrast to managing an IPL team, where the captain must find the finest Indian players and develop new players, Kaif explained, captaining the Indian squad is relatively simpler.

“I think it will be a little easier for him. Let me explain why captaining the Indian team is comparatively easier. The reason is that you don't have to groom the players. Every player already knows their responsibility and understands their role. When you're captaining an IPL team, it's much more challenging. IPL captaincy is tougher because you have seven Indian players and four overseas players. Out of those seven Indians, you have to pick the best combination. There are also two or three young players in the squad whom you have to guide and groom. It requires a lot more effort,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

On the other hand, the captain's work is comparatively easy because every member of the national team already knows their duty.

“Captaining the Indian team is a bit easier because everyone already knows their role. Arshdeep Singh knows exactly what kind of bowling he's expected to do. Axar Patel has already played at the highest level, won a World Cup, and made valuable contributions. Arshdeep has consistently performed well for India. Then you have Harshit Rana, who has improved as a bowler and has already represented India. Prasidh Krishna has also played for the national team. So this isn't a squad full of uncapped or inexperienced players that you need to manage from scratch. That's why I say the job becomes a little easier,” he added.

Iyer offers extensive leadership experience, having captained 101 IPL matches and won 57 of them. He led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the 2024 IPL title while also taking the Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) to IPL finals once each.

Kaif also hoped that Shreyas Iyer won’t interfere in the decision about India’s opening pair or in the batting order. However, he believes Iyer will strongly back himself when it comes to deciding his own batting position.

“When it comes to batting, I feel that after KKR's 2024 season, Shreyas Iyer learned one important lesson. If he's the captain, then at least he should decide his own batting position in the playing XI. He won't interfere in other decisions like who opens the innings or whether Axar Patel should be promoted. Those are matters for the coaching staff and management. But when it comes to his own batting position, I think he'll push for what he believes is best.

“By ‘push,’ I don't mean there will be any conflict or argument. It's not about fighting. It simply means he'll put forward his case strongly. He'll say, ‘I believe this is the best batting position for me in this Indian team.’ Whether Gautam Gambhir agrees with him or not is a different matter. I'm only talking about Iyer's mindset as a player,” he added.

Iyer, who last played a T20I in 2023, has made 1104 runs in 47 innings, with 8 fifties to his name.