Shreyas Iyer, who succeeded Suryakumar Yadav as captain of India’s T20 team on Saturday, may have experienced more upheaval and change than any other cricketer between December 3, 2023, and June 6, 2026.
It’s difficult for an Indian cricketer to make a comeback after a 30-month break, especially in the shortest format where players are fighting for a spot, much alone as captain, so Shreyas’ narrative is truly remarkable.
How has the 31-year-old impressed head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel in the interim? His unwavering commitment to overcoming obstacles and building an upward career trajectory must be the reason.
After losing his BCCI central contract in February 2024 for missing domestic games for Mumbai that season, Shreyas and Ishan Kishan of Jharkhand faced a dismal future. In addition to having to endure rejections from India squads for important competitions like the Asia Cup (2025) and T20 World Cup (2024, 2026), it took him almost a year to regain the contract.
However, instead of pouting or using social media to express his annoyance, he concentrated on improving his batting and healing from certain injuries that required him to take a hiatus from red-ball cricket last year.
Working with team mentor Gambhir, he guided the Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL trophy in 2024, which was the first indication of his comeback. It may have also allowed the former India opener to examine Shreyas’ mentality and way of thinking more closely.
Even before that, when Gambhir resigned as captain of the Delhi Capitals (then known as the Daredevils) in the middle of the 2018 Indian Premier League, he suggested Shreyas as his replacement. Therefore, the rumors on social media regarding his subdued relationship with Shreyas might stay that way.
However, the Mumbai player has also grown significantly over the past two years, both personally and as a cricket player, and he now understands how to put the team’s needs ahead of his own. It was confirmed by Ricky Ponting, who has worked closely with Shreyas at the Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings.
“He’s a much more mature player than he’s probably ever been in his whole career. He’s completely on top of his game now. He’s in that little sweet spot in his life and career where, if captaincy came his way, then I think he’d make the most of it,” Ponting had told PTI during IPL 2026.
The high praise was not unjustified. As a T20 batsman for PBKS in the IPL, the right-hander had two of his best seasons: 604 runs in 2025 and 498 runs the following year, averaging over 50 and scoring 11 fifties and a hundred.
Shreyas, who has always been a scary destroyer of spin, is no longer intimidated by pacers because of the addition of a powerful pull to his repertoire.
Shreyas may have prevailed over Sanju Samson, whose genius is tinged with perplexing inconsistency, and other deserving candidates like Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma, whose leadership abilities have not yet been put to the test.
However, Shreyas will now face challenges because managing an IPL team is a very different experience than captaining the nation. He will have to deal with far more scrutiny over his personal batting, team selection, and team performance.
Shreyas’ rise to the position of leadership is appropriate in that regard. He will start his new life with series against England and Ireland, which can test a player’s batting prowess and captaincy.
Beyond that, Shreyas won’t be participating in any significant T20 competitions because the emphasis will now be on the ODI World Cup the following year. The T20 version will take place in 2028, and he has plenty of time to create a plan for the international competition and shape a team to suit his tastes.
Dealing with the expectations of a billion passionate fans, however, will be Shreyas’ toughest task. The team has won the T20 World Cup thanks to the leadership of his predecessors, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar. Shreyas is expected to do the same, and even a small mistake will not be tolerated.
But when PBKS slipped into a tailspin in the second part of this year’s IPL and failed to qualify for the playoffs, Shreyas’s stoic, almost distant side as captain became apparent. He always stays in the present, striving to win that specific day, and does not carry the burden of success or failure on his mind.
