Forgetting the defeats in Ireland and England, India’s T20 team will now face Zimbabwe. Team India, led by Shreyas Iyer, will play a three-match T20 series in Zimbabwe. The first T20 match between India and Zimbabwe will be played on Thursday, 23 July. Before this match, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer held a press conference on Wednesday.

‘Play cricket fearlessly and do not come under the pressure of criticism’

Indian captain Shreyas Iyer wants his team players to play cricket fearlessly and not come under the pressure of criticism. He said that the disappointing results of the England tour have brought the team closer before the three-match T20 series against Zimbabwe.

Before the first T20 match against Zimbabwe, Shreyas Iyer said, “Our time in England was difficult, but many positive things also came out of it. We learned what we need to prepare as a team to move ahead, what kind of mentality, awareness and conditions we need to adapt to after coming on the field.”

Iyer came to Zimbabwe tour for the first time

Iyer, who is visiting Zimbabwe for the first time, said that the biggest challenge will be to adapt to the conditions in a short time. He said, “Some of us players are playing here for the first time, so the sooner we understand the conditions, the better results we will be able to achieve.”

Iyer told the young players of the team that despite the recent criticism, they should play without the fear of failure. He said, “I don’t think they should be afraid of failure. When you have such thoughts in your mind, you play to protect yourself. When there is no fear, then you can perform at your best. We should not think too much about what people are saying outside. We have to focus on the present. The better cricket we play and the better we perform as a unit, the better it will be for the team.”

‘Straight from England to Zimbabwe’

The captain admitted that the situation of reaching Zimbabwe straight from England and playing the match after only one practice session is quite challenging. He said, “It is definitely very challenging. We reached here yesterday, today is practice and tomorrow is the match, but it is also fun. If you perform well in such conditions, you definitely feel proud of yourself.”

Answer given on the defeat of Ireland and England

Iyer said that the foreign tours of Ireland, England and now Zimbabwe have given the team a lot of experience. He said, the results were not in our favor, but this has brought the team closer to each other. We have been discussing a lot about how to play as a unit going forward. Such an experience does not come often. This is a challenging phase and the sooner you come out of it, the better team you become.

Iyer also spoke on Vaibhav Suryavanshi

The debut of 15 year old Vaibhav Suryavanshi was not as expected. Iyer said that the experience of England and Ireland would have made Suryavanshi and other young players of the team more intelligent. He said, “All the young players must have definitely practiced. They have got a lot of time after the T20 series. Where Vaibhav might have made a mistake, he must have corrected it, so personally I don’t need to give him much advice.”

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