Former player Vivek Razdan believes Team India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer does not need to feel scared by his predecessor Suryakumar Yadav’s records or achievements with the team during his time. Iyer took over the leadership duties from the veteran ahead of the tour of Ireland and England in June, and will lead the team in the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan.

“To lead an Indian cricket team and for there to be no pressure, that cannot happen. While leading the Indian team, you are managing the expectations of 140 crore people; you cannot run away from that, because that pressure will always be there. Secondly, Iyer became captain at a time when his predecessor, Suryakumar Yadav, led the team to the World Cup. But you don’t have to be afraid of that. He has proven in the IPL that he is capable of leading and handling a team,” Vivek Razdan said during a select media interaction organised by Sony Sports Network.

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“Tactically, in the small aspects, I hope he will improve with time. What happens is that when the team performs well, and the exceptional players play their part, the captain’s job becomes a lot easier. The captain’s problems begin when the players are not doing well, and they look out of touch. Now we have the Afghanistan series and the Asian Games, so I hope that once they start winning, people will start to forget the past,” he added.

However, Shreyas Iyer will be leading a strong Indian team to defend the gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan. They have qualified directly for the quarter-finals on the basis of their rankings as well.

“It’s an exciting time, as it’s my first Asian Games. Sharing space with hockey players, athletes and cheering for them would be great. We are going there as one nation,” Iyer said during the pre-match press conference ahead of the first T20I against Afghanistan (via PTI).