Shreyas Iyer hailed India’s all-round effort after his first T20I win as captain against Zimbabwe, saying the victory gives the team confidence for the remaining matches.
India's Prince Yadav celebrates with captain Shreyas Iyer and teammates after dismissing Zimbabwe's Ben Curran during the first T20I match between India and Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club in Harare on Thursday, July 23, 2026. (Photo: IANS/X/@BCCI)
India captain Shreyas Iyer hailed his team’s all-round performance after registering his maiden victory as T20I skipper, saying the commanding seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the series opener would boost the squad’s confidence heading into the remaining matches.
India bundled Zimbabwe out for 125/7 before cruising to the target with 40 balls to spare, thanks to teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s record-breaking 18-ball half-century and disciplined spells from Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav, who picked up two wickets each.
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Reflecting on his first win as India’s T20I captain, Iyer praised the bowlers for exploiting the conditions before lauding the batters for making light work of the chase.
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“I think the boys were tremendous. Couldn’t have been happier with my first win. There was bounce from good length, and it was also variable. I felt it was there in both innings. The start Mayank gave was great.
“We are going to play two more matches here, so today’s performance gives everyone some confidence. I think Vaibhav has played here, he got 175 in the U-19 World Cup final, so he knows the conditions,” Iyer said after the match.
Named Player of the Match, Mayank Yadav said the conditions suited his style of bowling and credited the collective effort of India’s pace attack.
“It always feels great when you contribute in a win. So it was a very special moment for me. The wicket was very good. After playing in India, I was enjoying bowling here.
“It’s my first time here in Zimbabwe. The bounce I got and the seam movement was a great help for me. We got a good start from the very first ball, and the way they (Prince and Ashok Sharma) were squeezing from their end was really good.”
Prince Yadav echoed his captain’s sentiments, saying India’s bowlers stuck to their plans despite the assistance on offer.
“I’m very happy with my performance. But even more importantly, we won the match. There was quite a bit of assistance at the start. If you bowled the right length, the ball carried nicely and nipped around a little.”
Prince also praised fellow pacers Mayank Yadav and debutant Ashok Sharma before revealing the simple message from the team management.
“The coaches and Shreyas kept telling us one thing, bowl the right lengths. If a batter hits a good shot off a good ball, that’s absolutely fine. But as long as we keep bowling good balls consistently, everything remains in our control.”
India now lead the three-match series 1-0 and will look to seal the contest in the second T20I.
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