Shreyas Iyer credited stand-in head coach VVS Laxman for inspiring the Indian team after they completed a commanding 3-0 T20I series sweep over Zimbabwe, while Laxman praised the skipper’s leadership and positivity throughout the tour.
A relatively inexperienced Indian side, missing several regulars including Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, dominated Zimbabwe to seal the series with a comfortable 35-run victory in the third and final T20I on Sunday.
In a dressing room video shared by the BCCI, Laxman applauded Iyer for the way he bounced back after a difficult start to his T20I captaincy.
“I would like to specially congratulate Shreyas because he had a rough start to his captaincy career. But the way he came back, right from the first day when he joined us one day before the first game, he was very optimistic,” Laxman said, referring to India’s 0-4 T20I series defeat against England earlier this month.
“It’s a new group of players. We know that only four or five players from the England series were part of this tour. But he was so confident, and a lot of credit for this victory should go to the captain for the way he encouraged each one of you,” he added.
Iyer, in turn, thanked Laxman for his guidance during the tour, with the former India batter stepping in as head coach while Gautam Gambhir took a short break following India’s tour of the UK.
“I think we were flawless throughout the series, apart from the catches we dropped. It was a phenomenal effort from everyone in the team, including the support staff,” Iyer said.
“Thank you, VVS sir, for motivating us and inspiring us. Every day when we stepped onto the field, everything you told us was relevant, and we could relate to it. So, thank you so much.”
Laxman, who heads the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, regularly takes charge of the Indian team as interim head coach during short overseas assignments when required.
