"No one suddenly becomes a bad captain overnight" - Former India opener strongly defends Shreyas Iyer after series losses in Ireland and England

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has backed Shreyas Iyer following the Men in Blue's T20I series defeats to Ireland and England. In late June, India were whitewashed 2-0 by Ireland, marking Iyer's first assignment as the T20I captain. The Men in Blue then went on to suffer a 4-0 defeat to England in the five-match series, which concluded on July 11 in Southampton, with the visitors losing the fifth T20I by 56 runs.

Speaking during a discussion on his YouTube channel (Wasim Jaffer Official) on July 12, the 48-year-old said Iyer did a decent job, noting that leading India in T20Is was new territory for him and that he will handle the responsibility well.

Jaffer stressed that Iyer possesses the confidence and self-belief required for the role. He also pointed out that the 31-year-old scored 218 runs in five matches and that India's struggles were a collective failure, adding that Iyer should continue as captain going forward. Jaffer said:

Jaffer also stated that the series was used as a trial, with the team management handing opportunities to new players to identify whom they could trust for the 2028 T20 World Cup. He said:

Meanwhile, back-to-back series defeats saw India lose their No. 1 ranking in the ICC T20I standings, with England moving to the top.

"That's the impression I got" - Wasim Jaffer's interesting verdict after the England series

In the same discussion, Wasim Jaffer opined that winning did not appear to be India's primary focus during the Ireland and England series. Instead, the team management used the two series to assess players, determine whether they were long-term prospects, and identify whom they could back going forward. He said:

India's next T20I challenge comes against Zimbabwe in a three-match series, beginning on July 23 in Harare.

Edited by Dev Sharma