India, June 27 -- "Great start as captain," Shreyas Iyer said in a self-deprecating manner after India lost the first T20I to Ireland in Belfast on Friday.

Great start it wasn't, but Iyer wasn't one to get flustered. He had remained unfazed when Punjab Kings, after looking unbeatable in the first half of IPL 2026, went on to lose the race to playoffs. Those results didn't discourage the national selectors from handing him the India T20 captaincy replacing Suryakumar Yadav.

Iyer being his own man as a leader is frequently spoken about in the PBKS dressing room. That's creditable when one considers that he works with Ricky Ponting as head coach, a shrewd tactician who carries a big reputation.

One could see it in Iyer's moves on his firs...