Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar strongly believes that India's five-match away T20I series against New Zealand is a crucial test that can help skipper Shreyas Iyer solidify his leadership credentials and firmly move past captaincy comparisons with predecessor Suryakumar Yadav.
Nayar argued that the comparison between the two is already misplaced because Suryakumar largely captained India in home and subcontinental environments leading up to their T20 World Cup triumph.
On the other hand, Iyer experienced difficult early results after taking over the helm, dropping series against Ireland and England without a win, though he rebounded with positive results in Zimbabwe and an Asian Games gold medal in Japan.
“It's not about whether he's worthy or not in comparison to Surya, because, at that time, India played a lot of series in India. They didn't travel a lot,” Nayar told JioHotstar.
“After Shreyas Iyer took up captaincy, they went to England, and now they're going to New Zealand. So, a lot of the T20Is have been played away from home, in Zimbabwe and Japan. I remember that, building up to the T20 World Cup, we were playing a lot more at home and in subcontinental conditions than away. So, that comparison is out of the way,” he added.
Nayar emphasized that securing a series win in New Zealand would give Shreyas Iyer a "star on his chest," allowing him to establish his identity as a proven overseas leader and earn universal respect within the squad.
“Whenever you go to New Zealand and win in foreign conditions, I think that captain will feel in control of the team and earn the respect of everyone around him, because that's where you are judged the most,” Nayar stated.
“So, if you win, like they say, it's a star on your chest, going to New Zealand and winning the series. It didn't happen in England, but it happened here, if it does happen. So, it will be one of those things for him personally, that 'I can win abroad as well' as a captain.”
Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara endorsed Nayar’s viewpoint, highlighting the confidence that overseas success can bring to a team across formats.
“When you go to New Zealand and defeat the New Zealand team, it's a big achievement. Performing well in overseas conditions for the Indian team in any format, whether it is ODIs, T20Is, or a Test match, boosts your confidence,” Pujara said.
“If you do well there as a captain or as a team, your confidence goes up, that you can perform well not just in Indian conditions, but anywhere in the world.”
India’s 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, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.
