India successfully defended their gold medal in the men’s cricket event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Saturday. Playing the summit clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in Nisshin, Shreyas Iyer and Co registered a thrilling 19-run victory to clinch the gold medal. Ahead of the first game, India head coach Gautam Gambhir praised Iyer’s captaincy and reflected on his experience of working with him.
Following the triumph, the Indian players returned home as they gear up for the upcoming five-match T20I series against West Indies, which begins on Tuesday.
Gautam Gambhir and Shreyas Iyer share a strong bond that dates back to 2024, when they were part of the Kolkata Knight Riders setup in the IPL. While Gambhir served as the team’s mentor, Iyer led the side as captain, and together they guided KKR to their third IPL title.
Gambhir and Iyer share a strong bond that dates back to 2024, when they were part of the Kolkata Knight Riders setup in the IPL. “My first experience with Shreyas was when I actually went to KKR in 2024 where he was obviously captaining. India recently won the three-match ODI series against West Indies 2-1.
Because you can be hardworking, you can be disciplined, you can be fit, you can be the number one batter.
And it happens very rarely that a captain, who is probably your main batter as well, sacrifices his position for the team’s cause, whether for someone else for impact or from a left-right combination point of view,” said Gambhir on JioStar’s ‘Follow the Blues’. Iyer led the side as captain, and together they guided KKR to their third IPL title While Gambhir served as the team’s mentor. And the best thing I liked about Shreyas was that he was actually willing to leave his batting position at times. He was so flexible that he was okay if someone went ahead of him. “And that is when I realised that the first and foremost quality of a good leader is how selfless you are. Shreyas has that quality, and that is a massive tick that he can carry for the rest of his journey as a captain. But if you are not selfless, then all those other things stand for nothing. But Shreyas has got all of those things, and on top of that, he’s got that selflessness as well,” he added. The focus now shifts to the T20Is, where Shreyas Iyer and Co will look to carry forward the momentum from their Asian Games triumph.
