Shreyas Iyer has a Suryakumar comparison to shake off. Will NZ tour help?

Abhishek Nayar believes a series win in New Zealand could strengthen Shreyas Iyer's credentials as India's T20I captain, with India set to begin a five-match tour on October 22.Shreyas Iyer will lead India in the five-match T20I series in New Zealand (PTI Photo)New Delhi,Oct 21, 2026 19:31 ISTFormer India batting coach Abhishek Nayar believes a successful tour of New Zealand could help Shreyas Iyer put comparisons with former India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav behind him, arguing that winning overseas would earn the Punjab Kings skipper greater respect as a leader.Iyer’s captaincy has come under scrutiny since he took over the T20I side from Suryakumar, who led India to the T20 World Cup title earlier this year. While India have enjoyed some successes under Iyer, their results have been inconsistent, with defeats against Ireland and England followed by victories in Zimbabwe, the Asia Cup in Japan, and against Afghanistan at home.India’s recent five-match series against the West Indies ended in a 2-2 draw, with the final match washed out by rain. Iyer also began his captaincy stint with questions over his batting, particularly his scoring rate in the middle order. He has scored 590 runs at an average of 34.7 and a strike rate of 152.45, including a fluent hundred in the series opener against the West Indies in Lucknow. However, he failed to cross the 50-run mark in the next four matches.Nayar, who has worked closely with Iyer, believes comparisons with Suryakumar need to account for the difference in conditions in which the two captains have led India. “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,” Nayar told JioHotstar’s ‘Out or Not Out’.“After Shreyas Iyer took up captaincy, they went to England, and now they're going to New Zealand. 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.” India’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand begins in Christchurch on October 22, with the remaining matches scheduled in Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton. The series concludes on November 1 and offers Iyer an opportunity to secure a significant result away from home.Nayar believes winning in New Zealand would be particularly valuable for Iyer’s standing within the team, given the challenges of adapting to unfamiliar conditions.“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,” he 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. So, it will be one of those things for him personally, that 'I can win abroad as well' as a captain.”BOOST IN CONFIDENCEFormer India batter Cheteshwar Pujara echoed Nayar’s assessment, pointing to the confidence that success overseas can bring to a team across formats.“When you go to New Zealand and defeat the New Zealand team, it's a big achievement. Performing well in overseas conditions for the Indian team in any format, whether it is ODIs, T20Is, or a Test match, boosts your confidence,” Pujara said.“If you do well there as a captain or as a team, your confidence goes up, that you can perform well not just in Indian conditions, but anywhere in the world.”India Squad for New Zealand T20I seriesShreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.- Ends