Indian stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer has pointed out the significant difference in pitch conditions between the first and second innings after India suffered a whopping 244-run defeat to New Zealand in the fourth ODI on Friday, November 13.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Iyer acknowledged New Zealand pacer Matt Henry’s efforts to bowl in the right areas from ball one, which propelled him to take a match-winning six-wicket haul as India got bundled out for 89 runs in the 334-run chase.
“There was a huge difference between the first innings and the second innings in terms of wicket, but also credit where it’s due: the way Henry bowled in the right areas right from ball one. I think that was sensational,” Iyer said.
Iyer further revealed that his bowlers had tried almost everything during New Zealand’s innings, but felt the surface was considerably better for batting at that stage. He also shared that the Indian dressing room was confident of chasing down the target during the mid-innings break. However, things took a disastrous turn in the second innings.
“I think we tried almost everything in the first innings, the way they were playing on the rise. And we thought that the wicket was better to bat on, considering they got 330 after that. Obviously, a couple of dropped catches, but that definitely happens in a game,” he added.
“When we got into the dressing room, we thought that we would be cruising through the chase as well. But the way the ball was seaming in and out, you couldn’t basically decide from inside that this is how I’m going to play. Or even if you saw the wickets, no one threw the wicket away. It was good deliveries,” he noted.
“It’s important to forget about this one, obviously, analyze what went wrong in terms of bowling and batting. But at the back of the mind it’s important that we have also won two games. So a lot of inspiration from that one and see to it that we come with a fresh set of mind,” he concluded.
