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India’s comprehensive 3-0 T20I series victory over Zimbabwe ended with mutual appreciation between captain Shreyas Iyer and stand-in head coach VVS Laxman, as both credited each other’s leadership for the team’s commanding performances. A relatively inexperienced Indian squad, missing several first-choice players including Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, completed the clean sweep with a 35-run victory in the third and final T20I in Harare on Sunday. In a dressing room video shared by the BCCI after the series, Laxman singled out Iyer for praise, applauding the skipper’s attitude and leadership despite a difficult beginning to his tenure as India’s T20I captain. “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 series defeat against England earlier this month. Laxman said Iyer’s confidence was evident from the outset, even though the squad featured several fresh faces with only a handful of players carrying over from the England tour. “It’s a new group of players. We know that only four or five of those who were there in England joined us on this tour. But he was so confident and a lot of credit for this victory should be given to the captain, the way he encouraged each one of you,” he added. Iyer, who registered his first series win as India’s T20I captain, returned the compliment by thanking Laxman for the influence he had on the squad throughout the tour. “I think we were flawless, honestly speaking, throughout the series barring the catches that we dropped. It was a phenomenal effort by everyone in the team, including the support staff.” “Thank you VVS sir for motivating us and inspiring us. Each and every day when we stepped onto the field, I think everything that you mentioned was apt and we could relate to it. So, thank you so much,” Iyer said. Laxman stepped in as interim head coach for the Zimbabwe series while regular head coach Gautam Gambhir took a break following India’s demanding tour of the UK. Gambhir is expected to return for India’s Test tour of Sri Lanka in August. The successful Zimbabwe campaign once again highlighted Laxman’s ability to guide young squads on short assignments, while Iyer’s composed leadership helped India bounce back strongly after the disappointing England series earlier in the month.
