Wilderness to captaincy contention: Shreyas Iyer's remarkable T20I comeback

Shreyas Iyer's elevation to India's T20I captaincy now appears all but certain and, when the formal announcement is made on Saturday afternoon, it will complete one of the most remarkable comeback stories of Indian cricket in recent times.

After spending almost 30 months in the T20I wilderness, Iyer is forcing his way back into contention, compelling the selectors, team management and the BCCI to take notice. His IPL credentials - both as a batter and as a captain - have become so convincing that even those perceived to be less than favourably disposed towards him can no longer overlook his claim.

With more than 600 runs last season and close to 500 this year, Iyer has built a strong case for himself as a batter. Equally impressive has been his leadership of Punjab Kings, where he has earned widespread praise for inspiring and galvanising a young squad.

Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting has never been shy of pointing out Iyer's leadership qualities and had, in fact, predicted that he would go on to become India's T20I captain. Iyer recently joined the elite group of IPL captains to have led their teams in more than 100 matches in the tournament, further underlining his credentials as a leader.

Since Iyer's name began gaining traction, there was naturally curiosity about the views of Gautam Gambhir, the India head coach, who enjoyed a successful professional association with him at Kolkata Knight Riders, if not exactly a close personal one. It is understood that Gambhir has welcomed the prospect of working with Iyer.

"He has no issues," as one source put it. Should the appointment be confirmed, the two will have some significant assignments ahead of them - most notably the next T20 World Cup and, perhaps even more importantly, at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

If formalised, as expected, Iyer will succeed Suryakumar Yadav, who seems to have failed to make his case for continuation as India T20 captain. Runs have been hard to come by for Suryakumar, not just at the international level but also in domestic competitions. His dismissal for five in the T20 Mumbai League on Thursday was the latest setback in a prolonged slump that goes back to the T20 World Cup. In the IPL, he was largely off-colour as a batter, a couple of half-centuries notwithstanding.

It is understood that Hardik Pandya is close to regaining full fitness in time for the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, which begins in Dharamshala on June 13. Following the IPL, Pandya took a short break in France before flying directly from Paris to Bengaluru to report at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence. The all-rounder is currently undergoing rehabilitation and is expected to be available for selection for the Afghanistan series.

Pandya's problem is a back injury which kept him out of four IPL games. He is expected to remain in the Bengaluru facility till June 10. If he gets the all-clear from the NCA staff, he is scheduled to fly to Dharamshala on June 11 to link up with the ODI side. Sources close to him say Pandya is doing his best to regain match-fitness for the ODIs, a format he has not featured in for more than 15 months.

There is, however, no immediate update on Rohit, who too was was conditionally picked for the Afghanistan series. The former India captain has yet to report at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence, although those close to him in the Mumbai Cricket Association maintain that he should be fit in time for the ODI series. Rohit, who now plays only in the ODIs for India, suffered a hamstring injury during the IPL, an issue that kept him out of five matches for Mumbai Indians.

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