After embarrassing Ireland loss, did Shreyas Iyer snap at reporter before England T20Is?
India are set for a quick turnover from the Ireland series as they take on England, starting July 1. Ahead of the opening game in Durham, fans have hit out at newly-appointed captain Shreyas Iyer for allegedly losing his cool against a journalist.
Just a week into his stint as India captain, has Shreyas Iyer started to lose his cool already? Cricket fans on social media certainly seem to think so ahead of the team's five-match T20I series against England.
India suffered an embarrassing loss against Ireland in the two-match T20I series, where they failed to put up much of a fight. The team was also heavily criticised for not handing a debut to in-form prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who received his maiden India call-up after a sensational Indian Premier League season.
SHREYAS IYER CONFRONTS JOURNALIST?
Ahead of India's first match against England in Durham, Iyer was asked about the social media chatter around Sooryavanshi and whether it had taken attention away from the captain, coaching staff and the five matches at hand, with the team needing a strong response.
Iyer had a blunt response to the question, asked by journalist Vimal Kumar, and stated that he had not seen any social media chatter because he was not active on it.
"I have not seen it. Really, I don't know. Neither do I follow news, nor do I follow what is going on Instagram and social media. I have not heard anything," Iyer replied to Vimal Kumar's question.
Furthermore, the India captain refused to engage in questions related to Vaibhav's potential debut.
"You never know what is going to happen," Iyer said in the pre-match press conference.
"Our hands are tied right now in terms of what we will do. This is private. It's something we discuss within the team. We can't reveal our combination to the opponents."
The blunt response to Vimal Kumar's questions triggered varied reactions on social media. While many criticised Shreyas Iyer for his tone, others praised how strongly he handled the question. A cricket account on X, 'Rajiv1841', slammed Vimal Kumar for asking "agenda-driven" questions and praised Shreyas Iyer for shutting the journalist down.
A host of reactions followed Rajiv's post, resulting in Vimal Kumar being heavily trolled, with the video snippet of his question going viral.
Even former cricketer Sreevats Goswami reacted to the incident, defending Shreyas Iyer for his answer in the press conference.
"....Social media doesn’t understand a team’s culture and what it takes to be at the top. While the media is well within rights to ask questions and look for stories and headlines, the fans are entitled to voice their opinions, which is also called outside noise," Goswami said on X.
VIMAL KUMAR RESPONDS TO CONTROVERSY
After the incident went viral on social media on Tuesday, Vimal Kumar himself addressed the issue on his YouTube channel, defending Shreyas Iyer's response. The journalist said there was nothing wrong with Iyer's reply and that people trying to sensationalise the matter should quiet down.
As India build up to the opening T20I against England, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will once again be in focus. If Shreyas Iyer's India do not hand the 15-year-old his debut, the conversation will once again shift to whether it is right to have a generational talent in your squad and keep him on the sidelines as the national team searches for the right combinations in a new T20 cycle after the T20 World Cup.
Just a week into his stint as India captain, has Shreyas Iyer started to lose his cool already? Cricket fans on social media certainly seem to think so ahead of the team's five-match T20I series against England.
India suffered an embarrassing loss against Ireland in the two-match T20I series, where they failed to put up much of a fight. The team was also heavily criticised for not handing a debut to in-form prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who received his maiden India call-up after a sensational Indian Premier League season.
SHREYAS IYER CONFRONTS JOURNALIST?
Ahead of India's first match against England in Durham, Iyer was asked about the social media chatter around Sooryavanshi and whether it had taken attention away from the captain, coaching staff and the five matches at hand, with the team needing a strong response.
Iyer had a blunt response to the question, asked by journalist Vimal Kumar, and stated that he had not seen any social media chatter because he was not active on it.
"I have not seen it. Really, I don't know. Neither do I follow news, nor do I follow what is going on Instagram and social media. I have not heard anything," Iyer replied to Vimal Kumar's question.
Furthermore, the India captain refused to engage in questions related to Vaibhav's potential debut.
"You never know what is going to happen," Iyer said in the pre-match press conference.
"Our hands are tied right now in terms of what we will do. This is private. It's something we discuss within the team. We can't reveal our combination to the opponents."
The blunt response to Vimal Kumar's questions triggered varied reactions on social media. While many criticised Shreyas Iyer for his tone, others praised how strongly he handled the question. A cricket account on X, 'Rajiv1841', slammed Vimal Kumar for asking "agenda-driven" questions and praised Shreyas Iyer for shutting the journalist down.
A host of reactions followed Rajiv's post, resulting in Vimal Kumar being heavily trolled, with the video snippet of his question going viral.
Even former cricketer Sreevats Goswami reacted to the incident, defending Shreyas Iyer for his answer in the press conference.
"....Social media doesn’t understand a team’s culture and what it takes to be at the top. While the media is well within rights to ask questions and look for stories and headlines, the fans are entitled to voice their opinions, which is also called outside noise," Goswami said on X.
VIMAL KUMAR RESPONDS TO CONTROVERSY
After the incident went viral on social media on Tuesday, Vimal Kumar himself addressed the issue on his YouTube channel, defending Shreyas Iyer's response. The journalist said there was nothing wrong with Iyer's reply and that people trying to sensationalise the matter should quiet down.
As India build up to the opening T20I against England, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will once again be in focus. If Shreyas Iyer's India do not hand the 15-year-old his debut, the conversation will once again shift to whether it is right to have a generational talent in your squad and keep him on the sidelines as the national team searches for the right combinations in a new T20 cycle after the T20 World Cup.
