IND vs NZ T20Is: Former India assistant coach backs Iyer as captain on comparison with Surya

Shreyas Iyer's record as India T20I skipper is getting better after early defeats on tours of Ireland and England. His next assignment is against New Zealand in New Zealand. The two sides will play a five-match T20I series from Thursday (Oct 22) in Christchurch, and Iyer will be hoping to win. Iyer took over the T20I captaincy from Suryakumar Yadav after Surya led India's successful defence of the T20 World Cup title in June-July earlier this year. Iyer's stocks as captain rose through the IPL, where he first led Delhi Capitals to the final before winning the trophy with Kolkata Knight Riders and reaching the final again with Punjab Kings.

Abhishek Nayar on comparison of Iyer vs Surya as captain

Ever since Iyer replaced Surya as T20I skipper, there's been a debate going on about whether the right decision was made. While Iyer's initial series losses against Ireland and England didn't go his way, the next few series were in his favour. With Iyer constantly being compared to Surya as skipper, a win in the NZ series could very well settle the debate.

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"It's not about whether he's worthy or not in comparison to Surya, because, at that time, India played a lot of series in India. They didn't travel a lot. After Shreyas Iyer took up captaincy, they've gone to England, and now they're going to New Zealand. So, a lot of the T20Is have been played away from home, in Zimbabwe and Japan," said Abhishek Nayar, former India assistant coach, in a chat with JioStar.

"I remember that, building up to the T20 World Cup, we were playing a lot more at home and in subcontinental conditions than away. So, that comparison is out of the way. Whenever you go to New Zealand and win in foreign conditions, I think that captain will feel in control of the team and earn the respect of everyone around him, because that's where you are judged the most. So, if you win, like they say, it's a star on your chest, going to New Zealand and winning the series. It didn't happen in England, but it happened here, if it does happen. So, it will be one of those things for him personally, that 'I can win abroad as well' as a captain."

Iyer's record as T20I skipper

Since taking over the captaincy, Iyer has led India in 21 T20Is, winning 11 and losing eight of them, while two matches ended in no result. After losing series in Ireland and England, India won against Zimbabwe (away), won the Asian Games gold (Japan), defeated Afghanistan (home), and drew against the West Indies at home.