2019. That’s the last time the India men’s cricket team lost consecutive T20I series. Even then, Virat Kohli wasn’t available for one of them. India toured New Zealand, and Rohit Sharma had to sub in for him. Then, Australia came to India and managed to defeat a strong Men in Blue side.
Well, history might repeat itself after 7 years. After losing 0-2 to Ireland, India are 0-2 down to England. The first game against the Three Lions was washed out. Therefore, India will have to win the remaining two games to level the series. Or else, they’ll return home trophyless.
Gambhir always under scrutiny
Gautam Gambhir has always faced scrutiny. Whether it be for home whitewashes to New Zealand and South Africa, being blamed for the Test retirements of Rohit and Kohli, his controversial statements, standoffish behaviour in press conferences, and past comments when he wasn’t India’s head coach.
However, Shreyas Iyer is somewhat new to it, especially when involved with Team India. One can’t forget that he lost 6 of his last 7 matches as Punjab Kings captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. Punjab should’ve qualified for the Playoffs but didn’t.
Shreyas Iyer’s underwhelming comeback
Then, he replaced Suryakumar Yadav as India’s T20I captain, who just won the T20 World Cup 2026 as skipper. He was dropped from the side altogether. Shreyas has returned to the side after 30 months and failed to have an effect with the bat or as the new captain. If we remove the abandoned game, the 31-year-old has scored 55 runs in 4 matches.
His strike rate in these games – 137.50 – hasn’t been exceptional. Yes, he’s come to bat earlier than he or the management would like, but that doesn’t absolve him of the failures. Other than the second Manchester T20I against England, where he managed 37 (22), he hasn’t looked great.
In fact, two of his dismissals were caught at deep backward square leg off full balls on the leg stump. Other batters haven’t done well. Sanju Samson has been dropped. Tilak Varma has been scrutinised. But the eyes are on him. He isn’t just India’s new number four batter but also the captain.
Is Shreyas Iyer feeling the heat?
The selection committee has been ruthless. If they can remove Suryakumar and drop Samson, both of whom just won the T20 World Cup. Then, he isn’t safe either. Unlike Gambhir, who has won two ICC trophies in 2 years, Shreyas doesn’t have anything to show for it other than losing to Ireland for the first time.
There’s no doubt Shreyas will be feeling the heat. He won’t want to lose another game. To have a grim look after the match, describing how and why his team lost. He needs a win. His bat needs to bat, but more importantly, the team must win because he’s 1-10 as a captain in his last 12 matches.
