“Coward Cricket”: Shreyas Iyer Gets Slammed By The Internet After Bowling First Vs AFG

Shreyas Iyer gets slammed [Source: X]

India chose to bowl first after winning the toss against Afghanistan in the second T20I in New Delhi on September 15. On the surface, there is nothing inherently wrong with the decision. Chasing can be an attractive option in T20 cricket, particularly when a captain believes his batting unit is capable of handling any target.

But with Shreyas Iyer, this decision is becoming a pattern rather than an isolated call. Since taking over as India's captain, Iyer has had an extraordinary run of luck at the toss, winning it 11 times in 12 matches. Yet seven of those 11 victories at the toss have resulted in India bowling first and the internet is not happy about it.

Shreyas Iyer has won 11 of 12 tosses as India captain

Iyer's toss record as India's captain is almost bizarre. He has led India in 12 matches in 2026 and has won the toss on 11 occasions.

That gives him an enormous advantage when deciding how the game should begin. However, instead of using those toss wins to consistently put opponents under pressure with the bat, Iyer has opted to field first seven times.

When Iyer has won the toss and chosen to bat first, India have won two matches and lost two. When he has chosen to field first, India have won only two while losing four.

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Is Iyer becoming too cautious with the toss?

Choosing to bowl first is often viewed as the flexible option, that is to restrict the opposition, understand the conditions and then chase with a known target. However, another angle shares that the team is also voluntarily allowing the opposition to put a score on the board first.

For a team like India, that can be viewed as an unnecessarily conservative approach. With a batting line-up capable of setting the tempo from the opening over, batting first can instead allow India to dictate the terms of the contest.

The internet reacted to this decision of Shreyas Iyer, let’s take a look at them:

Elysium

@CricketElysium

Team India’s aggressive mindset has completely disappeared since Shreyas became captain. Bro always tries to play safe by choosing to bowl first. The same thing Iyer did against Ireland in both matches won the toss and chose to field, only to suffer two embarrassing defeats. 😭

"Not sure what the fear is. The new captain keeps winning the toss and choosing to bowl first against small teams. @ACBofficials should make 200+. We want a full and complete match." - @vithalwadjec97

siddharth nanda

@VinayKu81171355

@mufaddal_vohra These idiots will end cricket fir good 👍 bowling bowling....

"I have not seen a more buzdil kaptaan than shreyas iyer. afghanistan series was such a beautiful opportunity for us to try few new things&new personnel but the fear of failure and the ghost of ire eng series is still chasing you. you cannot build a team with this narrow mentality"- @UnfilteredMe70

xyz

@Amritm4mn

@mufaddal_vohra He should choose batting first he have the bowling options for defending the target I know all will say it is brainless thing which you are saying but sometimes we should try that whether this bowling attack can defend the target or not

"Bro, I used to get genuinely excited to watch India’s T20 games. Ever since Shreyas Iyer came in, even that excitement has disappeared. First, the obsession with bowling wouldn’t end,T20 is supposed to be about entertainment,why do they have to make everything so damn serious?" - @Mr_GauriFied

Divyaaaahhhh

@i_RelateToIt

@mufaddal_vohra This coward always bowling first

Harshit

@hharshit0

@mufaddal_vohra Fattu captain Bat first

SanctumCricket

@CricketSanctum

@CricketElysium Winning the toss and bowling first every time is coward cricket. Bat first and crush them

World Champions should not always look for the safer route

Iyer's decisions give the impression of a captain prioritising control and certainty over imposing himself on the opposition. Whether that is genuinely his thinking is impossible to know, but his repeated toss choices have created that perception.

India are not entering these games as an underdog. They are the reigning T20 world champions, and that status comes with an expectation of aggression.

Shreyas Iyer has been handed an extraordinary toss advantage, winning 11 of 12. Yet seven times he has used that advantage to put India in the field first.

Perhaps the strategy will eventually prove successful. But if India want to play fearless cricket, their new captain may need to stop treating the toss as an opportunity to avoid risk and start treating it as an opportunity to put the opposition under pressure from ball one.

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