'You could see that hunger in these youngsters' - Shreyas Iyer lauds his players after first international series win as captain

Shreyas Iyer praised his players' hunger after India whitewashed Zimbabwe 3-0 in the three-match T20I series that concluded last week.

The Mumbai-born stated that the players are well aware of how fierce the competition is in Indian cricket and that is why they try and contribute to the best of their abilities so that they can help the Men in Blue triumph.

"I feel when you step out on the field, you could see that hunger in all these youngsters who want to represent the team. They know how the competition is back in India. So, whenever they step on, they want to see to it that they contribute to the best of their abilities and see to it that they win matches,” Iyer said in a BCCI video.

Mayank Yadav made an international comeback after 21 months and finished as the highest wicket-taker in the series against Zimbabwe. In three games, he picked up five wickets at an economy rate of 6.55. Shreyas was particularly impressed with the right-arm pacer's execution.

"Mayank, I feel that his approach and his attitude was a standpoint in this tournament. I interacted with him during the match and every ball he was asking me what I should do. And the best thing about him was that he was able to execute whatever we decided. So, that's very heartening to see,” he added.

Another star performer against the Chevrons was Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The 15-year-old scored two fifties in three games and won the Player of the Series award. Shreyas explained how the starts given by Sooryavanshi proved to be important as he set the rhythm for the likes of Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma, who were the batters to follow.

"With Vaibhav, we know what he can get to the table. Especially the starts which he gave in almost the two games, which were very crucial as a team. He set the rhythm for us and then Ishan coming in, Tilak coming in. You know, contribution from each and every individual wins you matches. So, today was another opportunity for us and we seized it,” he mentioned.

After back-to-back defeats in the series against Ireland and England, there were questions being raised on Shreyas Iyer's capabilities of captaining in international cricket. However, the right-handed batter silenced his doubters while registering his first series win as captain. The 31-year-old said that the achievement feels like a dream-come-true moment for him.

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"It's a very special feeling; I can't mention it in words. Representing the country and winning the first series, it's something that you always dream of as a player. And I personally feel that as a team we had set a standard for ourselves, rather than thinking much about the outcome and it pretty well worked for us,” Iyer expressed.