Shreyas Iyer is all set to embark on a new journey as India's newest T20I skipper from June 26, as they face Ireland in the first of the two T20I matches of the tour in Belfast.
The series will not only be a preparatory assignment for the upcoming England series but also a big opportunity for Shreyas Iyer to prove his captaincy credentials after he replaced the T20 World Cup winner, Suryakumar Yadav, for the role.
As he looks to fill the big shoes of Suryakumar Yadav for the India job, we take a look at the major challenges that Iyer will face in his first series as the leader of the pack.
Major challenges for captain Shreyas Iyer vs Ireland
1. Recent form
Since Shreyas Iyer has been named the new captain, his outcomes have been underwhelming. In the recent ODI series against Afghanistan at home, he could only manage the best score of 26 runs in 3 innings, as he ended the series with 58 runs at a strike rate of 100.
Apart from the ODIs, in the second half of the IPL 2026, he scored only 219 runs in 7 matches, which includes a century.
His dip in form cost PBKS dearly as they missed out on the playoffs by a whisker due to 6 losses in a row.
During Suryakumar Yadav's tenure as captain, Tilak Varma emerged as one of the most important players that he would bank on, despite multiple position changes. Suryakumar Yadav also sacrificed his preferred number 3 position for Tilak during this time.
However, due to Suryakumar Yadav's poor form and Tilak Varma's pragmatic approach, runs often dried up in the middle overs since the start of 2025.
Criterion
Powerplay (0-6)
Middle Overs (6-15)
Death Overs (16-20)
Innings
18
22
12
Runs
198
444
204
Highest
26
57
40
Avg/SR
49.50/144.50
40.36/120.65
40.80/182.10
50/100
0/0
1/0
0/0
(Tilak Varma in different phases of T20Is since January 2026)
After the swashbuckling powerplays, Shreyas Iyer, who also bats in the top-4, will need to figure out the best position for Tilak Varma and himself so the runs continue to flow outside the powerplay.
Criterion
Powerplay (0-6)
Middle Overs (6-15)
Death Overs (16-20)
Innings
19
24
16
Runs
156
661
331
Highest
24
55
46
Avg/SR
26.00/140.54
82.62/161.22
47.30/220.70
50/100
0/0
4/0
0/0
(Shreyas Iyer in different phases since IPL 2025)
The above data shows Tilak Varma's struggles during the middle-overs, where he has only struck at the rate of 120.65, which is too low, considering India have a lot of power strikers in the top order as well as the death overs.
Shreyas Iyer has been a consistent number 3-4 batter in IPL over the past couple of seasons and is the best-suited player to come in and bat during the middle-overs and continue the momentum into the death. It is likely that Tilak could continue playing in the role of a finisher as he did in the back-end of the T20 World Cup.
3. Indian captains' record in Ireland
India has toured Ireland thrice for T20Is since 2018, where Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah have led the team. While Bumrah has never batted in Ireland as the skipper, Kohli and Pandya have been underwhelming with the bat.
Criterion
Virat Kohli
Hardik Pandya
Innings
2
2
Runs
9
37
Highest
9
24
Avg/SR
4.5/90
37/176.19
50/100
0/0
0/0
(Indian captains in T20Is against Ireland away from home)
If Iyer wants to be the main man for the T20I team, he will need to defy the history in Ireland and lead the batting lineup from the front.
A big series for him at number 3 or 4 would shut a lot of critics, who questioned his appointment as the captain, as he returns to the format after almost a three-year-long gap.
![Shreyas Iyer in action for India [Source: AFP]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1782125167856_ShreyasIyerIndia.jpg?type=hq)
Shreyas Iyer in action for India [Source: AFP]
