Shreyas Iyer admits harsh truth after England seal series; He reveals what went horribly wrong
Shreyas Iyer was disappointed in Bristol as India collapsed to a nine-wicket defeat in the fourth T20I as England wrapped up the series 3-0, with a game to go. He is still searching for his first win as India’s T20I captain, since taking over the reins in June this year.
He excelled at winning tosses, but was unable to take India beyond the finish line. India somehow managed to post 158/7 in their 20 overs, only because of Iyer’s batting. But it was not enough as England reached 159/1 in 13.5 overs.
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“Once again, the score was disappointing. 158 was not the ideal total on the board. In the end, we saw how fast they chased down,” he said after the match.
“I think we fell a little short in terms of our implementation.”
India’s bowling was also poor, despite Arshdeep Singh’s early dismissal of Jos Buttler. Shivam Dube leaked 15 runs in the 10th over, and Brook and Salt hammered Axar Patel for 19 runs in the ninth over. Washington Sundar was also bowled for 19 runs in the eighth over. Meanwhile, Prince Yadav and Prasidh Krishna were beaten for 15 runs each in the fourth and fifth innings respectively.
“When we got to the bowling, I asked the bowlers to repeat the lengths as much as possible because it was very difficult to hit the top of middle stump and leg stump. So I think we fell a little short in terms of our execution. And yes, we saw that when we were changing the pace, when we were trying something else, they scored those loose balls,” he said.
In the first innings, India lost a lot of wickets, but Iyer stood tall, smashing 80* off 49 balls. “I’m definitely happy with my performance, but if it’s not for the win, it goes to the side. I’m very disappointed in that aspect because when I play, I want to perform and make sure my team wins. But unfortunately, today was not that day. I’m definitely looking forward to the next match,” he said.
For India, it is also a transitional phase, and even Iyer realizes that he needs to be patient.
“Definitely. This is the transitional stage and we will make a lot of mistakes. You see a lot of young people playing here in these conditions for the first time. So the mistakes will definitely make them realize how important it is to adapt and have that awareness when it comes in outside conditions,” he said.
He added, “It is important to learn quickly from your mistakes so that the team can benefit from them in the end. I am sure that there are those who learn quickly on the team. I am sure that they will evaluate themselves and come back stronger in the next match.”
