Abhishek Nayar praised Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s consistency across the last two TATA IPL seasons
He said the Shreyas Iyer-Suryakumar Yadav captaincy debate needs a new context as India travel more
Nayar said a series win in New Zealand would strengthen a captain’s standing in overseas conditions
JioStar expert Abhishek Nayar said the comparison between Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav misses the larger point. India’s T20 captaincy is now being judged more often in overseas conditions.
Speaking on JioHotstar's "Out or Not Out", Nayar said the Shreyas-Surya debate needs a different context now that India are travelling more and playing away from home.
Captaincy Beyond Home
The comparison, Nayar argued, has shifted.
He said the Shreyas Iyer-Suryakumar Yadav debate cannot be judged the same way because India used to play far more often at home. That, he suggested, makes the captaincy challenge different from what it is now.
“It's not about whether he's worthy or not in comparison to Surya, because, at that time, India played a lot of series in India. They didn't travel a lot. After Shreyas Iyer took up captaincy, they've gone to England, and now they're going to New Zealand,” Nayar said
“So, a lot of the T20Is have been played away from home, in Zimbabwe and Japan. I remember that, building up to the T20 World Cup, we were playing a lot more at home and in subcontinental conditions than away. So, that comparison is out of the way,” Nayar said
His point was about schedule and setting. With trips to England and New Zealand, and T20Is in Zimbabwe and Japan, Nayar said India's recent build-up has featured more non-subcontinental cricket than before the T20 World Cup.
Winning In New Zealand
For Nayar, New Zealand is the next test.
He said a series win there would matter beyond the scoreline because captains are judged most when they win in foreign conditions. In that sense, he framed success abroad as a marker of authority and acceptance within the side.
“Whenever you go to New Zealand and win in foreign conditions, I think that captain will feel in control of the team and earn the respect of everyone around him, because that's where you are judged the most,” Nayar said
“So, if you win, like they say, it's a star on your chest, going to New Zealand and winning the series. It didn't happen in England, but it happened here, if it does happen,” Nayar said
“So, it will be one of those things for him personally, that 'I can win abroad as well' as a captain,” Nayar said
