India captain Shreyas Iyer said he hopes his strong working relationship with head coach Gautam Gambhir will drive clear communication and an aggressive approach in the shortest format in the coming times, starting with Sunday’s T20I match against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
The duo didn’t get a great start as India lost series in Ireland and England, before Iyer got a 3-0 win over Zimbabwe in July, with CoE head of cricket VVS Laxman being the stand-in head coach.
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. “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. “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. “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.”
Because all of us are different in our own ways and you need to understand a certain player, so, that is essential going forward in the tournament when you have that kind of relationship with every player. Having previously won an Indian Premier League (IPL) title together as captain-mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2024, Iyer highlighted the head coach’s aggressive mentality and individual player management as key factors in establishing clarity within the squad.
