Kolkata : Indian T20I captain Shreyas Iyer believes his great chemistry with head coach Gautam Gambhir can help India maintain clear communication and an attacking mindset. India will face Afghanistan in the first T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday.
Iyer and Gambhir have worked together at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), where they helped the franchise win the IPL title in 2024. Iyer was the captain, while Gambhir was the mentor. Previously, while at Delhi Capitals, Gambhir was a player playing his last IPL season and left his spot to groom Iyer the captain, justifying their great chemistry.
Iyer believes Gambhir’s aggressive approach and his ability to understand individual players can help the team stay clear about their roles. Gambhir, according to Iyer builds trust and confidence amongst players which is very beneficial for any team to excel.
“I feel that he has got a very aggressive mindset. He is someone who is always looking to win when he steps onto the field. He wants every individual to perform, which is pretty much given as a coach. So, he builds a lot of trust and confidence amongst the team, and every player knows what their role and clarity is.
“So, I think all these alignments are very much important when it comes to coaching skills, and he has got an amazing one-on-one player management approach. So, that is essential going forward in the tournament when you have that kind of relationship with every player because all of us are different in our own ways and you need to understand a certain player.”
Iyer and Gambhir did not have an ideal start after India lost series in Ireland and England. Iyer then led India to a 3-0 series win over Zimbabwe in July, with VVS Laxman serving as the stand-in head coach.
Having worked with Gambhir at KKR, Iyer said he already has a good idea of how the India coach thinks and approaches the game.
“Both of us, Gauti bhai and I, have been in this scenario where we need to know the players and how they can deliver for the team. The more matches we win, the more we would be getting to know each other closely. I have worked with him in the past in KKR. So, I definitely know how his mind works and how his approach is going to be,” said Iyer in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.
Afghanistan will be India’s first challenge, with several of their players familiar with Indian conditions after playing in the IPL.
Iyer said India would not look too far ahead and would instead focus on the opening game.
“See, we will go game by game. We don’t have to think too much about the future. We are thinking about the first game. We know that Afghanistan is a nice team, and our preparation has also been promising for the last couple of days. Players are in great shape and mindset.
“So, we have to stay in the present and see to it that we deliver when the time comes. Leading up to the Asian Games, we have got a great opportunity to play against a very quality side. So, looking for a great competition and yes, fingers crossed. We will deliver to the best of our abilities.”
Gambhir and Iyer duo never won a T20I series till now. They will eye to break that shackle and create new records in Afghanistan series.
