Archive · 16 Sep 2026
Shreyas Iyer Reflects on Captaincy Challenges After Afghanistan Series Win
Shreyas Iyer is leading India’s T20 cricket team.
His first two series as captain ended in losses against Ireland and England.
He said those results were difficult, but he is trying to stay balanced and focus on the present.
India then won its first series under him against Afghanistan.
India won the second match by seven wickets and took a 2-0 lead.
Sanju Samson scored many runs quickly, and Nitish Kumar Reddy took three wickets.
India may give other players a chance in the final match.
Afghanistan’s captain said his team needs to start matches better and score more runs.
Shreyas Iyer called his early T20I captaincy defeats a “tough pill to swallow” and stressed maintaining equilibrium.
India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in New Delhi to take an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Sanju Samson scored 57 from 22 balls, while Nitish Kumar Reddy took three wickets.
Iyer said India plans to test different combinations and give playing opportunities to members of the bench.
Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran said his team lacked Powerplay intent and needed to improve its scoring from 150-160 toward 200-plus.
- Who
- India, led by captain Shreyas Iyer, defeated Afghanistan, captained by Ibrahim Zadran.
- What
- India won the second T20I by seven wickets, secured a 2-0 series lead, and reflected on Iyer’s early captaincy challenges.
- When
- The second T20I was played on Tuesday; the final match is yet to be played.
- Where
- New Delhi, India.
- Why
- India wanted another comprehensive victory, while Afghanistan said it needed more Powerplay intent and higher scores to compete with top international teams.
India’s Perspective
Afghanistan’s Perspective
Assessment of the match
India’s Perspective
Iyer said India demanded and achieved another comprehensive performance after the opening match.
Afghanistan’s Perspective
Zadran said Afghanistan struggled again, particularly in the Powerplay, and credited India’s bowlers for applying pressure.
Plans for the next match
India’s Perspective
India intends to experiment with combinations and give match practice to players who have been sitting out.
Afghanistan’s Perspective
Afghanistan said it would work on its approach and improve with more matches.
Team development
India’s Perspective
Nitish Kumar Reddy said work at the BCCI Centre of Excellence helped him generate more pace as he pursues his ambition of becoming a great all-rounder.
Afghanistan’s Perspective
Zadran said Afghanistan must bring greater intent and apply itself better to produce larger totals against leading international teams.
- Series score
- India leads Afghanistan 2-0 in the three-match T20I series.
- Match result
- India defeated Afghanistan by seven wickets in New Delhi.
- Shreyas Iyer’s earlier results
- His first series as captain ended in a 0-2 defeat to Ireland, followed by a 1-4 defeat to England.
- Sanju Samson
- Scored 57 runs from 22 balls.
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Took three wickets for 24 runs in three overs.
- India’s plan
- Iyer said India would try different combinations and give opportunities to players who were not selected.
- Afghanistan’s concern
- Ibrahim Zadran said the team needed to improve its Powerplay performance and move from 150-160 scores toward 200-plus.