The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee took perhaps one of the boldest calls in the history of Indian cricket. The first week of June was full of turmoil and headlines as Suryakumar Yadav, the captain of the T20 world champion Indian team, had been dropped from the squad. On 8th March, Suryakumar and his men lifted the trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium, and just within three months, the entire team for the next assignment was the same sans their skipper.
Shreyas the right way ahead?
Suryakumar’s batting slump at all levels became a talking point while the overwhelming success of Shreyas Iyer as a skipper in the IPL ignited talks of him replacing Surya. Iyer led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to victory in 2024 and took Punjab Kings (PBKS) into the grand finale the following year. Under Iyer, PBKS did very well in the first half of the 2026 IPL, but lost their way after that. However, despite that, he was named the skipper of the Indian team for the UK tour.
It is every cricketer’s dream to step onto the field and lead the country. Iyer’s dream was fulfilled, but the results were something he would love to forget. From 26th June to 11th July, India played seven winless T20 matches. Starting with a whitewash in a two-match series against Ireland, they ended the T20 series losing 0-4 to England in a five-match series.
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Iyer became only the fourth captain to remain winless in his first seven games in his tenure; the other three are Zimbabwe’s Brendan Taylor, Elton Chigumbura and Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera. India never lost more than three T20 matches in any World Cup or series, but lost four in a single series against England.
However, despite the baptism of fire for the new captain, his bat shone, and it was the only silver lining for Team India. Iyer scored 218 and finished as the second-highest run-getter of the tour, just below his English counterpart Harry Brook (229). As of now, he is the only Indian captain to score a T20I fifty in England! The next best batter from the Indian team is Abhishek Sharma, who is 87 runs short of his skipper, and that shows the value Iyer brings to the table.
The Sanju, Sooryavanshi Dilemma
Another big talking point of the series is the selection dilemma between Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Sooryavanshi showed an unperturbed hegemony over each and every bowler he faced in the IPL, and keeping him out of the playing XI was hard for the team management. On the other hand, Samson played an integral role in India’s World Cup triumph.
India replaced Samson after a few failures, but Sooryavanshi had an underwhelming campaign. Samson’s exclusion from the Zimbabwe tour sparked further controversy, but his inclusion in the team for the final game alleviated that.
Barring Abhishek Sharma, India’s entire top order had a damp squib in the UK tour. The lacunae were evident in the England tour when Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, the new-ball bowlers didn’t bowl anything on full length to Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Samson and Abhishek. They hit the hard length, angled it across from the southpaws, and at times, bowled searing yorkers to mix the length, and the Indian batters were all at sea.
Sooryavanshi just scored 42, and barring that 56 in the final game of the series, Ishan also had a few tough outings, and the entire tour was a horror show for Samson.
Patidar for Tilak?
The presence of Tilak Varma was not a frugal one for India as the Hyderabadi batter didn’t impress. Questions arose as to why Rajat Patidar, the two-time IPL-winning RCB skipper and a surreal spin hitter, was ignored. Patidar’s spin-bashing prowess is admired in the entire cricketing world, and he would have given the team some better tactical options but India stuck with Varma and also made him Iyer’s deputy.
Varma’s ball-striking against spin in the initial stages of his innings troubled him, and opponents protected the midwicket and square leg region to make his run-scoring difficult.
Bowling a let down
Indian bowling has not been at its best. In the ‘best economy’ list, Prasidh Krishna with 9.14 is placed at the sixth position, and he is the best India have. He and Arshdeep Singh are the ones with an economy rate below 10. Arshdeep has bowled 30 dot balls across 4 innings, and this is a silver lining for India.
Prince Yadav started the tour by yorking Jos Buttler, but since then, his days with the ball were full of stygian darkness. Varun Chakaravarthy, Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi – their frontline spinners conceded runs lavishly, and the wicket column did not speak in their favour.
Zimbabwe rdemption on the cards?
India’s next T20 assignment is just 10 days away. Zimbabwe would have been a lesser threat in terms of strength, and all but the contrasting form of both the teams has made it look tougher. Richard Ngarava-led Zimbabwe has defeated Bangladesh in both the Test and ODI formats.
Brian Bennett, Sikandar Raza, Brad Evans, and Blessing Muzarabani will all be in action, and they will have three T20Is against Bangladesh to brush up their skills. Meanwhile, Indian players have to redeem themselves. Regrouping themselves is a challenge after a couple of series adorned with setbacks.
The post-Surya era has started on the bitterest note. Iyer’s bat has instilled positivity; Abhishek Sharma and Prasidh Krishna showed glimmers of hope, but there is a lot to ponder. In the Zimbabwe series, India’s target will not only be triumph but to find clarity in the set-up.
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