Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has shared his perspective and initial surprise regarding the decision to name Shreyas Iyer as India’s new T20I captain, replacing Suryakumar Yadav. The leadership change follows a period of struggling form for Yadav over the last few years.
Speaking on the development, the former Mumbai batter admitted he was caught off guard by the selection ahead of the T20I series against Ireland. Manjrekar had anticipated that ODI captain Shubman Gill would be the natural successor to take over the T20 leadership duties.
“Yes, I was surprised. I am trying to understand why that choice was made. Shubman Gill is another player with leadership pedigree; he has captained India and had a very strong IPL. However, since he is an opener in T20 cricket, the question is: where do you fit Shubman Gill? Shreyas Iyer bats in the middle order, which provides more flexibility. With Suryakumar Yadav as the established captain, perhaps the selectors felt Shreyas had a more defined role in the side. His leadership has been impressive,” Manjrekar stated in an interview with Sony Sports Network.
Manjrekar further noted that performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) now play a pivotal role in national team selections. He suggested that Iyer’s successful stint with the Punjab Kings, both as a captain and a batter, made his appointment well-deserved.
“I believe the IPL has a tremendous impact on everything—be it 50-over cricket, leadership, or T20 cricket. Shreyas Iyer’s appointment is heavily influenced by his IPL performances. While I would argue that his batting form was actually better last season than this one, it will be a slight challenge since he had been out of the T20I squad. He deserved the recall; after his phenomenal performance last season as a batter and captain, he should have been picked sooner,” he added.
Shreyas Iyer has appeared in 51 T20I matches, accumulating 1,104 runs at a strike rate of 136.13.
