Former Indian Test batter Cheteshwar Pujara reckons Shreyas Iyer will need to prove himself in the T20I series against England. Iyer’s captaincy career with the T20I team didn’t get off to an ideal start as India was stunned by Ireland in the two-match series.

The Mumbai batter could not lead from the front against Ireland, returning with scores of 3 and 10 in the two games. Iyer has proved his mettle in the white-ball formats and he would look to be at his absolute best against England.

Iyer recently scored 498 runs in 13 innings of IPL 2026 while leading Punjab Kings in IPL 2026. Furthermore, he returned with scores of 12 and 26 in the ODI series against Afghanistan.

“I don’t have doubts about Shreyas Iyer as a captain, but as a batter, he will face a lot of challenges, and he has to prove himself as a batter. As a captain, he has done a phenomenal job in the IPL for the Punjab team, and that is why he has been brought in as a captain. He is the experienced player in that squad, and he is a proactive captain. He leads from the front and gives a lot of freedom to the players,” Cheteshwar Pujara said on Star Sports.

On the other hand, former Indian leg-spinner Piyush Chawla said a lot of Indian players don’t have the experience of playing in English conditions, and it is going to be challenging for them.

“The biggest challenge is that there are a lot of players who have not played in English conditions. So, it is not going to be easy, and when it comes to match situations, playing in the IPL is a different ball game altogether. So, it will be challenging, and there will be a lot of questions asked,” Piyush Chawla said.

The first T20I between India and England will be played on Wednesday.