After appointing Shreyas Iyer as the new T20I skipper, former England captain Michael Vaughan remarked that he thought Team India would name Ricky Ponting as head coach. After his last participation in late 2023, the top batsman returned to the short-format team and took Suryakumar Yadav's role as captain.
Over the years, Shreyas Iyer's development as captain has been greatly influenced by Australian legend Ricky Ponting. The two were crucial to Delhi Capitals' (DC) run to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 finals. A few seasons later, they reunited with the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and advanced to the 2025 finals.
"When I heard it for the first time, I presumed Ricky Ponting would be the coach. Those two come as a pair. He is a very good captain, very good player, and that tells you how much depth and strength you have in Indian cricket, particularly in T20, when you are dropping the captain who just lifted the T20 World Cup. I'm not sure that would happen in any other country," Michael Vaughan said on Ajinkya Rahane's YouTube channel.
Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy debut didn’t go as planned as Ireland defeated India in an international game for the first time, winning the first T20I by 34 runs in Belfast.
Meanwhile, Vaughan also spoke about the upcoming five-T20I and three-ODI series between England and India that will commence on July 1.
Arriving on English soil as heavy favorites, Team India has only lost six of their past 35 games since 2025 and hasn't lost a T20I series in nearly three years. In contrast, England is in the shortest format under Harry Brook despite their run to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026.
After the Men in Blue successfully defended the T20 World Cup championship earlier this year, Vaughan labeled them favorites.
"Great opportunity for Iyer, a couple of years away from the next T20 World Cup. He'll know he's got a wonderful team to work with in the England tour, and you have to say that India are going to be the favorites for the series; they always are, they are the best team in the world. England will have to produce some good cricket to compete with them," Michael Vaughan concluded.
England have managed only one win in their last 7 T20Is against India. And India has recorded series wins during their last two white-ball tours of England in 2018 and 2022.
