Sunil Gavaskar has urged Indian cricket fans to remain patient with Gautam Gambhir and newly appointed T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, saying it is unfair to expect immediate results from a fresh leadership combination. India’s shock 2-0 T20I series defeat to Ireland has triggered criticism from all sides, but Gavaskar believes the new setup needs time to settle before judgment is passed.

Iyer was handed the T20I captaincy ahead of the Ireland series, but his first assignment ended in disappointment as India lost both matches and suffered their first-ever bilateral series defeat to Ireland. While the result has raised questions around India’s planning and execution, Gavaskar feels the early noise should not overshadow the bigger picture.

“With any new relationship, there will always be just a little time taken for both to understand the support staff and the playing staff to understand what is expected of them. It will probably take a little more time, and so we just have to be a little patient with that,” Sunil Gavaskar told reporters during an interaction organised by Sony Sports.

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The former India batter also pointed out that Iyer’s captaincy record in domestic and franchise cricket speaks for itself. Over the years, the Mumbai batter has led teams successfully in the T20 format, taking Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings deep into tournaments and guiding Kolkata Knight Riders to an IPL title. Still, Gavaskar reminded fans that international cricket is a different challenge altogether.

“Shreyas Iyer’s leadership has been proven over the years in the T20 format. We have seen him win trophies, and get teams into the knockouts and finals. But again, when it comes to international cricket, it is a whole different ball game. We see that where the individuals are brilliant at say, the Ranji Trophy level or the First-Class level, but somehow find that step up to the international level just a little bit tough to contend with,” Sunil Gavaskar said.

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He added that one poor series should not define Iyer’s future as captain, especially with a five-match T20I series against England coming up. Gavaskar believes the next assignment will offer a far better measure of how Iyer and Gambhir are shaping India’s T20 plans.

“We just have to wait and see as far as Shreyas Iyer is concerned, this was just the first two games. Yes, it is a loss which is hard to take. But let’s be a little patient and see how it goes in the next five games in England,” he added.