Shreyas Iyer Backs Fearless India in T20 World Cup Build-up

The Cliff News | 5 October 2026

Shreyas Iyer, at the helm of India's T20 International squad, has embraced his captaincy, cultivating a young and aggressive team focused on their journey towards defending the ICC Men's T20 World Cup title in two years. Iyer shared his vision for the team's mindset, his personal batting philosophy, and his interactions with emerging talent.

Speaking on JioStar's 'Follow the Blues: Sarpanch Shreyas,' Iyer articulated his desire for players to exhibit greater freedom and express their natural instincts on the field. He believes that suppressing inherent abilities can hinder peak performance.

Fostering a Fearless Team Environment

“We want players to be more liberal, more expressive in terms of being fearless out there and not restrict their instincts,” Iyer stated. “Because when you curb your instincts, your natural abilities are not portrayed out there. So, I feel that we have to back ourselves more than what the expectations are from outside.”

The captain highlighted the importance of internal team support, especially during challenging periods. “Because as a team, you know what is going on inside the team, what kind of mindset players are around. So, through thick and thin, you’ve got to support each other and see to it that when the tough time comes, everyone has got each other’s back,” he added.

Iyer's Pragmatic Batting Approach

Addressing his own role with the bat, Iyer outlined a situation-dependent strategy. “I love to play the situation. If I’m going into bat in the powerplay, I want to capitalise on the field restrictions which you have in the powerplay,” he explained. “So, I am someone who likes to go against the bowlers when the chips are down, because that’s when the offensive game comes in.”

This aggressive mindset has been a constant throughout his career. “That’s my mindset that has been right from the start, since the time I started playing for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. And once I get in, I see to it that I create a platform for the batters coming after me. And if I keep continuing, then I know I can take down the bowlers left, right, and centre,” Iyer elaborated.

Reading the Game and Manipulating Momentum

Iyer also detailed his method for navigating innings, which involves astute observation of the opposition's tactics. “I check around the field and see what kind of tactics they are plotting against me,” he said. “Sometimes bowlers, they love to bluff and they like to get on top of you. They get aggressive at the start, especially in the one-day format. They want wickets.”

He uses this aggressive intent from bowlers to his advantage. “And even if I would be fielding as a captain or a vice-captain, I would be wanting wickets, so I would be right into the batsman. So that’s when I love to capitalise on that, to shift the momentum towards me and see to it that I am playing the ball, I am playing the field, I am manipulating everything around me,” Iyer explained.

Nurturing Young Talent: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

The captain also spoke about his engagement with young talent, specifically mentioning Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Iyer focuses on building rapport beyond cricket. “I keep interacting with Vaibhav in terms of what he does outside the field, because everyone talks to him about cricket, and we know how talented and gifted as an individual he is,” Iyer said.

He believes this broader interaction helps the young player thrive. “So, just to talk about his lifestyle outside, that interaction, knowing about his family, what he does, what not, that excites him more because he’s more of himself when he talks about it.” Iyer noted Sooryavanshi’s quiet demeanour off the field contrasting with his on-field destructiveness.

“And a very silent guy, but on the field, is very destructive. So, that’s like an irony when you look at him. He’s a very charming, sweet guy to interact with and good to have him around the dressing room. And I know that his time will come, because we have been playing with World Cup-winning openers right now, and they deserve the time out there and he’s still in the 15. So definitely, when his time comes, he is going to dominate Indian cricket,” Shreyas explained.

Prioritizing Wins Over Early Experiments

Regarding team selection and strategy leading up to major tournaments, Iyer prioritizes immediate success. “The most important thing for me is to win the series, and then we can experiment with the playing combination,” he asserted.

He cautioned against premature experimentation, which can sow seeds of doubt among players. “Experimenting from the start doesn’t make sense because then the players also get insecure, and then they start questioning themselves, questioning others around the dressing room. And then they go in that dilemma phase where they feel like, ‘Will I get a match ahead or will I not get one? I don’t like that mindset. I’ve been in that mindset in the past, and I know how it feels from inside,” Iyer concluded.