India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer said on Wednesday that the team's recent tour of Ireland served as a "reality check" and emphasised the need to adapt quickly to unfamiliar conditions as they aim to be back on winning ways in Zimbabwe in the opening T20I on Thursday.
“We have to adapt as soon as possible. Because that's what happened with us in Ireland. We got a sort of a reality check. So here, as soon as we create awareness and execute properly, the results will go our way,” Iyer said at the pre-match press conference in Harare on Wednesday.
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“Their team will be good in terms of preparation. They will have a good idea about the ground,” Iyer noted.
Iyer said the lessons from India's 0-4 T20I series defeat to England have prompted the team to reassess what it needs to build on to keep moving forward.
He also mentioned the importance of greater "presence of mind, awareness and adaptability" while playing in overseas conditions.
“We had a rough patch in England. But a lot of positives came out of that. We got to know what we have to build as a team going forward, what kind of presence of mind, awareness, and adaptability we need once we step onto the field," he added.
“This is going to be a great challenge for us. Some of us are playing for the first time, so the quicker we adapt, the better result we would have,” he concluded.
Ready to get going in Harare 🙌
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 22, 2026
🎥 Hear from Captain Shreyas Iyer on the excitement for the #ZIMvIND T20I series 💙#TeamIndia | @ShreyasIyer15 pic.twitter.com/PvR9CHVoMd
Iyer admitted that the turnaround between the ODI series in England and the Zimbabwe T20Is was not too much, as the 31-year-old was part of the ODI series decider at Lord's on Sunday, and will have to switch continents and prepare for another match within just three days.
Iyer's captaincy stint has got off to a disappointing start, with India losing both of his first two series.
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The side was whitewashed 2-0 by Ireland before going down 4-0 to England, with one match in the five-game series being washed out due to rain.
Iyer will be aiming for his first victory as India's T20 captain when the team takes on Zimbabwe in Harare on Thursday, July 23.
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