Shreyas Iyer Joins Dhawan in Unwanted Captaincy Debut Record
India's shocking 2-0 T20I series loss to Ireland made Iyer the second Indian captain to lose his debut series.
Shreyas Iyer's tenure as India's T20I captain began on a sour note as the team suffered a 2-0 series defeat to Ireland in 2026. The result ended India's 16-series winning streak and marked their first-ever T20I series loss to Ireland. Despite the setback, Iyer had an impressive IPL season, scoring 498 runs and leading Punjab Kings to the final.
Iyer is not the first Indian captain to lose a T20I series in his first assignment. Before him, Shikhar Dhawan endured a similar fate in 2021 during a tour of Sri Lanka. After winning the opening match, a COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp forced nine players into isolation, leaving Dhawan with a weakened side that lost the next two games.