IND vs IRE: ‘Play like a lion…’ Shreyas Iyer roared, the new captain expressed his intentions

By Samira Vishwas Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Shreyas Iyer is going to start his innings as the new captain of the Indian T20 team with the T20 series against Ireland. Iyer, who was out of the team in the last two T20 World Cups, has made a comeback in the Indian T20 team on the basis of his excellent captaincy in the IPL. Now the selectors have expressed confidence in him and handed over the command of the team.

For the first time in the team huddle after becoming the captain, Shreyas Iyer made it clear that his priority is not just to win the match but to create such an environment within the team where every player supports each other and plays like a family.

We have to play like lions: Shreyas
Shreyas said that this is a great opportunity for us and this team is a family. We have to play like lions. We have to enter every match with the mindset that we have come to win. Create such an environment where we encourage each other and also openly celebrate the success of our fellow players.”

Gambhir also praised Shreyas
Before the practice session of the Indian team, head coach Gautam Gambhir first congratulated Shreyas Iyer on becoming the T20 captain. In the video released by BCCI, Gambhir said that it is a huge honor to captain the country and he is confident that Shreyas will provide excellent leadership both on and off the field.

Gambhir said, ‘I want to congratulate Shreyas on becoming the captain of India. It is a great honor to captain your country. I am confident that you will do great work not only on the field but also outside the field. After this Shreyas presented his leadership vision to the team. He said that it is a matter of pride and honor for him that he has got the opportunity to captain the Indian team. Now his aim is to create a strong team culture where every player supports each other in both good and difficult times.

‘It is a matter of pride to be captain’
Shreyas said, ‘This is my first opportunity to captain the Indian team and it is a matter of honor and pride for me. Moving forward, I want to create such an environment where we all protect each other, stand together in every situation and enjoy cricket to the fullest while on the field.

The new captain also appealed to the players to play fearlessly. He said that the team should enter every match with the intention of winning and give its best performance with full confidence.

The Ireland tour will be the first test of Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy. In such a situation, everyone’s eyes will be on how much impact his ‘Lions thinking’ would have on Team India’s performance on the field.