Shreyas Iyer drops first reaction on becoming India T20 captain: 'Great feeling and also...'

Shreyas Iyer has finally been rewarded for his brilliant work with multiple Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises as the Mumbai batter has made a comeback to the Indian team straightaway as the captain of the side.

Iyer, who has not played a T20I since December 2023, has been appointed the captain of the Indian team in the format in place of Suryakumar Yadav who has been dropped due to his poor form. The decision was revealed during the squad announcement for India's tour to Ireland, England and the Asian Games.

When the announcement was made, Iyer was gearing up to play for SoBo Mumbai Falcons in the T20 Mumbai League. After the match, he was asked about his feeling after being appointed captain and he kept his answer short.

Iyer: Great feeling to lead country

Iyer's team was up against Suryakumar's Triumph Knights MNE in the Mumbai league and the newly-appointed India captain helped his team pip the side of the outgoing skipper. Iyer scored a match-winning half-century to help SoBo Mumbai Falcons win by five wickets.

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When asked about the captaincy decision, Iyer said, "It is a great feeling and also an honour to represent the country at this level and leading them."

He also talked about his performance on the day, adding, "Definitely happy with what happened today on the field. I got crucial runs, took our team to victory. I absolutely loved it."

Speaking about the support from his fans, Iyer said, "I love my fans. The way they supported me and the contribution that they have showed throughout these years, I think it's tremendous. I want to shower my love and respect for the fans."

Outgoing skipper Suryakumar said he was happy with Iyer getting the captaincy and called it a proud moment for Mumbai cricket.

“Very happy for Shreyas Iyer. We played a lot of cricket for Mumbai and India together. Most importantly three back-to-back T20I captains for India from Mumbai now and it it very proud moment for all of us at Mumbai cricket,” Suryakumar, under whose captaincy India won the recent T20 World Cup, said during the Mumbai league.

Iyer has been rewarded for his astute captaincy and brilliant batting in the IPL. He remains the only captain ever to lead three franchises to the final of the league and has also been among the standout Indian batters in the competition for the last two years.