Shreyas Iyer lost six of his first seven T20Is as captain, and he wants the West Indies series won before India experiment
India’s T20I captain says the five-match series against West Indies comes first and changes to the XI can wait, because players unsure of their place start to doubt themselves.
Oct 4, 2026
Iyer gave his view on how he will use the squad in an interview with JioStar. “The most important thing for me is to win the series, and then we can experiment with the playing combination,” he said. “Experimenting from the start doesn’t make sense because then the players also get insecure, and then they start questioning themselves, questioning others around the dressing room.”
He went further. Players left wondering whether they will get the next game end up in what he called a “dilemma phase”, and he does not want anyone in his squad stuck there. “I don’t like that mindset. I’ve been in that mindset in the past, and I know how it feels from inside.”
A captaincy that started with six defeats
Iyer has reasons to want things settled. He took over from Suryakumar Yadav on 6 June 2026 as India’s 15th T20I captain, and the first weeks went badly. Ireland beat India by 34 runs and then by one run at Stormont in Belfast in late June, their first T20I series win over India and the end of a run of 16 straight T20I series wins for India.
England followed. After a washout in Chester-le-Street on 1 July, Harry Brook’s side won the next four, the first time India had lost four matches in a single T20I series. That left Iyer with six defeats from his first seven games in charge and no win.
The turn came in Harare. India won by seven wickets on 23 July, Iyer’s first win as T20I captain, and swept Zimbabwe 3-0. On Saturday his side beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the Asian Games final in Japan to defend the gold.
Backing each other
The other thread in what Iyer said was about expression. “We want players to be more liberal, more expressive in terms of being fearless out there and not restrict their instincts,” he said. “Because when you curb your instincts, your natural abilities are not portrayed out there.”
He wants the dressing room to set its own bar. “I feel that we have to back ourselves more than what the expectations are from outside,” Iyer said, adding that when “the tough time comes, everyone has got each other’s back.”
Iyer also spoke about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the teenager who top-scored in Zimbabwe with 151 runs across the three games. “He’s a very charming, sweet guy to interact with and good to have him around the dressing room,” he said. “When his time comes, he is going to dominate Indian cricket.”
Five games in 12 days
The series opens at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday, 6 October, then goes to Ranchi (9 October), Indore (11 October), Hyderabad (14 October) and Bengaluru (17 October). All five start at 7pm IST. Tilak Varma is Iyer’s vice-captain.
West Indies arrive with something to build on. Shai Hope, their T20I captain, made 162 not out as they chased 352 to win the third ODI in Mullanpur on Saturday, after India had taken the first two. If Iyer means what he says, the side that walks out in Lucknow is the one he expects to win the series with, and the fringe players will have to wait until it is safe.