India’s newly appointed captain Shreyas Iyer is all set to lead the team in the first T20I against Ireland. Iyer was given the captaincy baton after the selectors sacked Suryakumar Yadav despite the latter leading the team to T20 World Cup glory.

Iyer has all the IPL leadership experience under his belt and has been backed ahead of the UK tour. The Mumbai batter had taken KKR to glory in IPL 2024 whereas he also guided Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings to the final in 2020 and 2025 editions respectively.

After head coach Gautam Gambhir congratulated Shreyas Iyer on taking over the leadership role, Iyer spoke about the importance of team culture, stating he wants to build a positive environment within the squad.

Iyer said on BCCI video on X, “Let’s try and build a solid culture going forward. My first opportunity to captain the Indian team and definitely an honour and privilege as Gauti bhai mentioned. It’s a great respect as well to be leading the country. So going forward, I want to create a culture where all of us are protecting, supporting each other through thick and thin, and more importantly, when we are out here, have as much fun as possible.

“It’s a great opportunity and this is a family. Let’s play like Lions and approach each and every game like we are going to win it and play to the best of our abilities. Have an atmosphere where we are uplifting each other and enjoying each other’s success,” he said.

Iyer is known for his aggressive captaincy and would look to lead India with aplomb. India will play the first T20I against Ireland at Belfast on Friday.