Shreyas Iyer Joins MS Dhoni And Rohit Sharma in Elite Record List

Shreyas Iyer’s tenure as India’s T20I captain couldn’t have been off to a more difficult start. He has been the captain for 6 matches and is still looking for his first win as captain. India have lost 5 of those matches, while 1 match ended without a result due to rain.

Shreyas began his captaincy in Ireland, which many expected to be a comfortable series for India. Instead, Ireland shocked the visitors with a historic 2-0 series win. India then went to England, where the situation got even worse. They are 0-3 down in the five-match series, having suffered a heavy defeat by 125 runs and 9 wickets in the last 2 games.

Since Shreyas has endured a difficult start to his T20I captaincy, let’s see how the Indian captains have fared after the first 6 matches.

Top 5 Indian Captains First 6 T20Is: Win-Loss Record

MS Dhoni’s Dream Start (3-1)

MS Dhoni began his T20I captaincy journey during the first T20 World Cup played in South Africa in 2007. In his first 6 matches as captain, India won 3, lost 1, drew 1 and had one abandoned due to rain.

The first match under his captaincy was against Scotland in Durban, but the game was abandoned due to rain. India then tied with Pakistan at the same venue and then won the match by a bowl-out.

India’s next match ended in a 10-run loss to New Zealand in Johannesburg. Dhoni’s team bounced back by defeating England by 18 runs in Durban and then defeating hosts South Africa by 37 runs at the same venue. The team also registered a memorable 15-run win over Australia in the second semi-final.

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Virat Kohli’s Winning Beginning (4-2)

After taking over from Dhoni, Virat Kohli became India’s T20I captain in early 2017. He won 4 of his first 6 matches, losing 2. His first assignment as captain was a three-match home series against England, which India won 2–1.

Kohli’s first game as captain ended in a 7-wicket defeat to England in Kanpur. India responded well by winning the next 2 matches, beating England by 5 runs in Nagpur and by 75 runs in Bengaluru to clinch the series.

He then led India in the only T20I against the West Indies in Kingston in July, where the visitors lost by 9 wickets. Kohli then scored a Player of the Match performance in a 7-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Colombo in September, scoring 82 runs off 54 balls. India then won the first T20I against Australia in Ranchi by 9 wickets in October.

Rohit Sharma’s Strong Opening (5-1)

Rohit Sharma took over as India’s T20I captain in December 2017. He won 5 and lost only 1 of his first 6 matches as captain. He started with the home series against Sri Lanka, which India won 3–0.

India started the series with a 93-run win in Cuttack. Rohit led the way with 118 runs off 43 balls in an 88-run win in Indore. India completed the clean sweep with a 5-wicket win at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Rohit’s next match as captain was against South Africa in Cape Town in February 2018, which India won by 7 runs. He was dismissed for a duck in the first T20I against Sri Lanka in Colombo during the Nidahas Trophy, which India lost by 5 wickets. India then bounced back with a 6-wicket win over Bangladesh in Colombo.

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Hardik Pandya’s Impressive Record (5-0)

All-rounder Hardik Pandya took over as the T20I captain against Ireland in June 2022. India won 5 of their first 6 matches, while 1 match ended in a tie.

Pandya’s first stint ended with a 2–0 series win in Dublin. India won the opening match by 7 wickets and the second match by 4 runs. His next match as captain was against the West Indies in Lauderhill in August 2022, where India won by 88 runs.

Pandya later led India in New Zealand in November 2022. The first T20I was abandoned due to rain, while India won the second match by 65 runs at Mount Maunganui. The third match in Napier ended in a tie under the DLS method. India then won the first T20I against Sri Lanka by 2 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in January 2023.

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Suryakumar Yadav’s Positive Start (4-2)

Suryakumar Yadav took charge of India’s T20I team in November 2023, just days after the Indian team’s painful defeat to Australia in the ODI World Cup final. He led India to a 4-1 series win over Australia at home.

Suryakumar scored 80 runs off 43 balls in a 2-wicket win at Visakhapatnam. India then won by 44 runs in Thiruvananthapuram and then a 5-wicket win in Guwahati, leaving Australia a match behind.

India concluded the series with wins in Raipur by 20 runs and in Bengaluru by 6 runs. His sixth match as captain ended in a 5-wicket defeat to South Africa at Gakeberha in December 2023.

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