Cheteshwar Pujara issues bold warning to Shreyas Iyer ahead of England T20I Series

India’s young T20I team is already under pressure after a shocking 0-2 series defeat against Ireland, and now they are set for an even bigger test in England. As the five-match T20I series is set to get underway on Wednesday, July 1, in Durham, all eyes will be on captain Shreyas Iyer.

Everyone is expecting Iyer to bring the India national cricket team back to winning ways in England after the Ireland horror. However, former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara believes that Iyer has the quality to lead the team but feels the skipper has another big job to do.

Cheteshwar Pujara backs Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy but raises big batting concern

Ahead of the first T20I in Durham, Cheteshwar Pujara said that Shreyas Iyer needs to prove himself with the bat after failing to make an impact in his debut series as the Indian captain. His comments came after Matt Prior compares Vaibhav Sooryavanshi with Steve Waugh ahead of England T20Is.

Pujara admitted that Iyer is a “phenomenal” captain, but now the team needs a fabulous performance from their skipper in the upcoming T20I series in England, as India cannot afford another poor series.

Pujara said on Star Sports, “I don’t have doubts about Shreyas Iyer as a captain, but as a batter, he will face a lot of challenges, and he has to prove himself as a batter. As a captain, he has done a phenomenal job in the IPL for the Punjab team, and that’s why he has been brought in as a captain.”

Shreyas Iyer’s batting struggles

Shreyas had an unforgettable start to his captaincy during the Ireland tour. India lost both T20Is and suffered a 2-0 whitewash. As a player, the right-handed batter also struggled badly after taking over the No. 4 position from Suryakumar Yadav. Across both matches, he could score only 13 runs.

Even before the Ireland tour, Shreyas failed to make a big contribution in the ODI series against Afghanistan at home. He managed only 12, 26, and an unbeaten 20 in the three matches.

Pujara hails Iyer’s ‘proactive’ captaincy

Amid his batting struggles, Pujara has full faith in Shreyas’ leadership but wants him to lead the side from the front on the England tour. Even Shreyas Iyer shared that he was not surprised after being named as Team India captain.

He also hailed Iyer as a captain, saying he likes to stay involved in the game, makes quick decisions on the field, and allows his teammates to play fearless cricket.

Pujara signed off by saying, “He is the experienced player in that squad, and he is a proactive captain. He leads from the front and gives a lot of freedom to the players.”

India’s bowling attack under scanner

However, England will not make life easy for India in the upcoming T20I series. The home side have a powerful batting unit with Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks and Jordan Cox. And they will target India’s weak bowling attack at will.

Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are not part of the tour, and other young pace guns have failed to deliver consistently. The spin department will also be under pressure. Axar Patel, Suryansh Shedge, and Washington Sundar will have to step up if India wants to stop England’s dangerous lineup.