3 former players who criticised Shreyas Iyer in NZ vs IND 2026 T20I series ft. Irfan Pathan

India won the five-match T20I series in New Zealand 3-2, but it left captain Shreyas Iyer answering questions about his bowlers.

India chased down 226 in Christchurch, their highest successful chase in the format, with Samson making 67 off 33. Two days later, from 112/6, Tilak Varma's unbeaten 51 off 26 and Nitish Kumar Reddy's 26 not out off 13 finished the job. In Wellington, Abhishek Sharma hit 113 off 38 as India reached 118 without loss in the powerplay, the highest in men's T20Is, and 199 was knocked off in 13.2 overs.

Auckland was different. New Zealand's 259/7 was their highest T20I total and the highest made against India, with Glenn Phillips hitting 107 off 49 and Michael Bracewell 65 off 25. India were kept to 172, their second-heaviest defeat by runs in the format.

After two single-digit scores in the opening three matches, Shreyas Iyer made 22 off 11 in Auckland and 50 off 23 in Hamilton. His 666th run of 2026 as captain took him past Rohit Sharma's 656 from 2022, the most by an India captain in a calendar year. After the final match, the 31-year-old's record reads 14 wins, nine defeats and two no-results in 25 T20Is.

#1 Hanuma Vihari

Hanuma Vihari, who played 16 Tests for India, reviewed the tour on his YouTube channel after the fifth T20I at Seddon Park on November 1, in which Shreyas Iyer made 50 off 23.

“Shreyas Iyer also scored an amazing half-century. Good knock from the captain. I think he fell a little short in this series. He was good as captain but more brilliant as a batter.”

He rated the captaincy good and the batting better, and named no tactical error. It is the mildest of the three verdicts, and the only one that does not point at a decision.

#2 Mohammad Kaif

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif's video followed the Auckland defeat on Friday, October 30. He targeted the plan rather than the result: with five overs left, Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar had one over each.

“I want to ask Morne Morkel what is going on. It is the responsibility of the bowling coach to answer. The bowling coach and captain are responsible. Shreyas Iyer also needs to learn things. Nitish is not your complete bowler. When the last five overs are left, Arshdeep only has one over remaining. Bhuvneshwar has only one left. You cannot give the 20th over to Nitish. You need to find ways to bowl him in the middle. He is your fifth or sixth bowler, not a wicket-taking bowler.”

Kaif noted that Shreyas Iyer's Punjab Kings conceded 200-plus totals nine times in IPL 2026, and asked what Morkel, India's bowling coach, was doing about it.

#3 Irfan Pathan

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan spoke after the third T20I in Wellington on October 27, with the series already won and Nitish having bowled the 19th over in both Christchurch and Wellington.

“Nitish bowled the 19th over in the last match, and he did that in this match as well. Nitish has been doing well, but ideally, I would like to see Shreyas Iyer finish his four overs by the 15th- 16th over. He will also get a breather, and I feel you will be able to run the game better. But if the team management is thinking of making Nitish Kumar Reddy do tough work to prepare him for the future, then fair enough. But you won't see Nitish bowling the 19th over in the World Cup.”

Iyer's own post-match verdict in Hamilton covered the same ground: “We still could have been better with our bowling and fielding. We were a bit sloppy.”

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