“It is going to be a tight call”

Team India captain Shreyas Iyer remained tight-lipped on the opening combination for the T20I series opener against Afghanistan in Delhi on September 13. With the emergence of Vaibhav Suryavanshi and the presence of T20 World Cup-winning openers Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, Team India has the dilemma of picking two from these three in the starting lineup.

After a string of low scores, Samson was dropped after the T20I series opener in England for the next three matches. Yet, with Suryavanshi failing to score big in three consecutive matches, Samson returned to the playing 11 for the series finale as Abhishek Sharma’s opening partner.

However, Samson was excluded from the squad for India’s most recent T20I series in Zimbabwe, with Abhishek and Suryavanshi opening in all three outings.

Talking about the selection conundrum between the three openers for the opening T20I against Afghanistan, Iyer said at the pre-match press conference (via Hindustan Times):

“All three of them (Abhishek, Sanju and Suryavanshi), having them in the team is a luxury first of all, and they are flawless in their own departments. Well, it is going to be a tight call because they have been performing consistently. And see, whoever gets the opportunity, it’s definitely for the team’s benefit.”

He added:

“And the player sitting outside, it’s important that I have an interaction with them, along with the coach, and give them that confidence. That you know what, no matter what, you will get your opportunity when the day comes.”

While Abhishek has consistently opened the batting, with Samson and Suryavanshi taking turns at the top, the left-hander has been in woeful form. Abhishek has averaged a dismal 6.66 in his last six T20I innings, dating back to the England series.

“Has excellent one-on-one player management skills” – Shreyas Iyer on Gautam Gambhir

Shreyas Iyer praised head coach Gautam Gambhir for his will to win and his player management skills ahead of the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. Iyer took over as India’s T20I captain from Suryakumar Yadav ahead of the T20I series in Ireland.

The Iyer-Gambhir partnership started on a poor note, with India losing the Ireland and England T20I series 0-2 and 0-4, respectively.

“Gautam Gambhir wants to win and has excellent one-on-one player management skills. I have worked with him in the IPL, and I know how his mind works. He is aggressive and wants to win every time we get onto the field,” said Iyer (via India Today).

The duo worked together in a captain-mentor relationship with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2024, helping the franchise win its third title.