Shreyas Iyer became the first Indian captain to win in the shortest format as he guided India to a narrow 35-run win over Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club on Sunday in the 3rd T20I of the series. India had already bagged the series 3-0, and this was a significant milestone for the new T20I captain. The series win has been a huge boost for Iyer after a rough beginning to his captaincy. India had lost successive series in Ireland and England before arriving in Zimbabwe. The comprehensive victory in Harare has thus been an uplift for the side, and Iyer has etched his name in history as the first Indian captain. Historic Milestone for Shreyas Iyer Shreyas Iyer achieved the first-ever 3-0 whitewash of Zimbabwe in a T20I series of 3 or more games as a captain of the Indian cricket team. India had experienced victory over Zimbabwe in the shortest format until now in the series, but they had not had a captain secure a whitewash in the three-match series. Suresh Raina was captain when India won 2-0 in 2010, and MS Dhoni in 2016 when 2-1 was secured. In 2024, Shubman Gill took the helm when India once again won 4-1, but a no-loss result had not been achieved until this series. The feat also meant India became just the third team in T20I history to beat Zimbabwe by a margin of 3-0 or more. Only Pakistan and Afghanistan have achieved such a whitewash over Zimbabwe before this tour. Zimbabwe facing a clean sweep in a bilateral T20I series of 3-plus matches: 0-3 vs Pakistan in Pakistan, 2020 0-3 vs Afghanistan in UAE, 2021 0-3 vs Afghanistan in Zimbabwe, 2022 0-3 vs Afghanistan in Zimbabwe, 2025 0-3 vs India in Zimbabwe, 2026, This Series* The clean sweep just went to prove how India dominated throughout the series and outplayed Zimbabwe in all three games with the bat and ball. Also Read | 'Batted 1000 Balls For 3 Hours': Suryakumar Yadav Drops Subtle Hint to Indian Team Management After Intense Training Session A Timely Turnaround After Difficult Beginning Iyer's captaincy journey started on a rough note. Succeeding T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav, India suffered a T20I series defeat in Ireland by 2-0, which was followed by a 0-5 drubbing loss to England. These results meant that Iyer faced one of the most difficult beginnings for any T20I captain from India. There were criticisms of the team and its changes. The Zimbabwe series, on the other hand, offered the optimum counter. Such was India's stability that the players did their usual uniform act for all three games, and got the result they needed. Although this opposition posed an altogether different problem to the one posed by England, the whitewash and the fact that the likes of Iyer were ultimately able to deliver in such circumstances should provide some encouragement going into what will be hard-tested yards over the coming months. The new captain will now hope this series signals the start of a successful era for India's T20I team. With the 2028 ICC T20 World Cup coming up and the game expected to be included in the Olympics 2028 in Los Angeles, settling on a team and developing winning habits will continue to be the ultimate goal. For Shreyas Iyer, the rout of Zimbabwe was more than simply another series win. It was a significant achievement, one that puts his name in India's statistical annals and provides an encouraging beginning in his quest to become the permanent T20I leader of the side.