Shreyas Iyer‘s first match as India’s T20I captain ended in disappointment as India lost to Ireland. The defeat also placed him in a rare and unwanted group of Indian captains who began their T20I captaincy careers with a loss.
Iyer became only the fourth Indian captain to lose his debut T20I as skipper. The others are Virat Kohli, who lost against England in 2017, Rishabh Pant, who lost to South Africa in 2022, and Shubman Gill, who was beaten by Zimbabwe in 2024.
| Indian T20I Captain | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | England (2017) | Lost |
| Rishabh Pant | South Africa (2022) | Lost |
| Shubman Gill | Zimbabwe (2024) | Lost |
| Shreyas Iyer | Ireland (2026) | Lost |
Despite the result, Iyer achieved a couple of notable milestones with his appointment as captain.
He became India’s most experienced T20 leader before making his T20I captaincy debut. Iyer had already led teams in 114 T20 matches across franchise and domestic cricket, breaking the previous Indian record held by Rohit Sharma, who had captained in 80 T20 games before leading India.
Iyer also entered the record books by age. At 31 years and 202 days, he became India’s third-oldest player to captain the men’s T20I side for the first time. Only Shikhar Dhawan and Suryakumar Yadav were older when they made their T20I captaincy debuts.
While the opening result was not the one India wanted, Iyer’s leadership journey has begun with milestones that underline his vast experience. He will now look to register his first win as India’s T20I captain in the remaining matches of the series.