VVS Laxman Hails Shreyas Iyer’s Captaincy, Team India’s ‘Winners’ Mindset’ in Zimbabwe T20I Sweep

Indian stand-in coach VVS Laxman has lauded T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer for his leadership and optimism, guiding Team India to a dominant 3-0 clean sweep against Zimbabwe and securing his first-ever T20I series win as captain.

IMAGE: Team India captain Shreyas Iyer and stand-in coach VVS Laxman with the trophy after winning the T20I series in Harare, Zimbabwe on Sunday. Photograph: Kind courtesy VVS Laxman/Facebook

Indian stand-in coach VVS Laxman hailed the T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer for achieving his first-ever T20I series as a captain during the tour to Zimbabwe after a rough start to his his stint. He also hailed the team for displaying a “collective effort” and a “winners’ mindset” in the series. Team India completed a 3-0 clean sweep series win over Zimbabwe with a 35-run win at Harare on Sunday.

Iyer’s Captaincy Journey

After a shocking 0-2 loss to Ireland and a 0-4 loss to England in the T20I series during the tour to the UK, Shreyas finally achieved both his first T20I win and T20I series win as a captain during the tour to Zimbabwe. Speaking in a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), VVS hailed Iyer for his optimism and excitement to play with a new group of players, including debutants Ashok Sharma and Yash Thakur.

Laxman’s Praise for the Team

SEE: VVS Laxman Lauds Shreyas Iyer’s Captaincy, Team’s Mindset. VIDEO: BCCI/X

‘A big round of applause to the entire team. We set out to win the series. I would like to specially congratulate Shreyas because he had a rough start to his captaincy career, but the way he came back, right from the first day when he joined us one day before the first game, he was very optimistic and looking forward to playing with all of you,’ said the former Indian batting legend.

‘It’s a new group of players. We know that only four or five of those who were there in England joined us on this tour. But he was so confident and a lot of credit for this victory should be given to the captain, the way he encouraged each one of you,’ he added.

Laxman also hailed India’s “winners’ mindset” during the tour, saying that during their first meeting as a team, they had asked themselves if they could exhibit the same. ‘We wanted to exhibit a winners’ mindset. In our first meeting, we asked ourselves if we could do that. And all of you, throughout all these three matches, you all have done that,’ said Laxman.