Forget T20I captaincy, focus on selection first: Zaheer’s advice to Shreyas Iyer

Former Indian seamer Zaheer Khan has provided a reality check to ODI batting mainstay and Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer amid rumours of BCCI selectors zeroing in on him as Suryakumar Yadav’s successor as next T20I captain. Iyer has been in remarkable form in the ongoing IPL 2026, leading his team from the front. While his captaincy continues to make headlines, his batting form is what has grabbed everyone’s attention. At 31 and having all the attributes needed to lead an Indian Team, Iyer remains the talk of the town.

Although he is Team India’s ODI vice-captain, Iyer hasn’t played a T20I since December 2023. Speaking on Cricbuzz, Zaheer said instead of eyeing the T20I captaincy, with the axe hovering over current skipper Suryakumar Yadav, Iyer must first focus on finding a spot in the T20 World Cup-winning team.

“First, being part of the T20 setup will be on his mind. Captaincy, I am not sure if he is thinking about that right now. He can be a contender in due course because he has been captaining franchises for a while now and has been successful. So, he clearly has that mindset.

“When you are looking at the Indian T20 setup, I think he must be thinking first and foremost of making an impact with his performances as just a player to secure a spot. Once you are in the squad, then the rest of the things are up to how the team management is looking at things,” Zaheer said.

Iyer’s rise as a T20 captain

After leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title in 2024, Shreyas Iyer moved to Punjab Kings. Rejoining head coach Ricky Ponting (the two were together at Delhi Capitals earlier) at PBKS, Iyer did wonders in his first season as the Punjab captain, leading the side to its second IPL final and the first in 11 years.

Although he failed to get his team past the winning line (with the RCB clinching its maiden IPL title), Iyer’s leadership has put Punjab on the pedestal in the ongoing edition. Being the only unbeaten team thus far, Punjab has won five of its six contested matches, sitting at the top of the table with 11 points.

While he smashed a whopping 604 runs in 17 matches in the previous edition, Iyer has thus far collected 208 runs in five outings, including three fifties at a strike rate of 182.45.