Tremendous in terms of execution – Shreyas Iyer elated on his first T20I win as Indian captain

Shreyas Iyer’s era as a captain of the Indian cricket team finally saw its first win as the Men in Blue humbled Zimbabwe in the series opener in Harare. It was a collective show of dominance from the visitors as the bowlers came good in the first innings while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ran away with the chase in the powerplay itself. The Indian captain, Shreyas Iyer played an unbeaten knock of 28, ushering India to the finish line.

Talking at the post-match presentation, the Indian skipper opened up on the win and also lauded his team for adapting to the conditions in Zimbabwe. He also heaped praise on the individual performers who changed the course of the game in various phases.

Reflecting on the feelings of the first win as the nation’s skipper, Iyer said, “Exceptional. They were tremendous in terms of execution and me getting my first win, can't be more happier.”

Explaining how his team adapted to the reactions, Iyer said, “Absolutely, as I mentioned earlier, I was anticipating the bounce and there was decent amount of bounce on this wicket, especially from the hard length. And also it was variable at the start. I personally feel that in both the innings it was there. But exceptional start given by Mayank, the way he bowled in terms of executing his line and length, not giving them room to score runs. I think that's very critical for us and then Vaibhav coming in the powerplay giving us exceptional start.”

Shedding light on India’s bowling performance, Shreyas said, “In every team there is going to be a batter who is going to take the team to the hilt and post a decent total. I think they analyzed the wicket pretty well and they started building partnerships. That was when I wanted to rotate my bowlers as well and see to it that they get decent rhythm because we're going to play two more matches over here. So, everyone getting chances and opportunities to come and bowl and bat, that actually gives a lot of confidence to them as well.”

He concluded by lauding Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, stating, “Exceptional batting by him. He's fearless youngster and the way he approached this innings was phenomenal. So, yeah, I think he's played here before, so he's got a fair idea about how the wickets are. He's got 175 I guess in the under-19 final, so definitely possesses immense confidence when he steps onto the field. So, good to see it today. Good start to the series.”