Indian captain Shreyas Iyer has opened up on India’s seven-wicket defeat in the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday, November 1, as India sealed the five-game series 3-2.
Speaking at the post-match presentation after India’s 3-2 series win, Iyer was disappointed with the middle-order collapse in the first innings. Notably, Ishan Kishan (61), Iyer (50) and Naman Dhir (33) were the lone batters to do well as India posted 191/8 in 20 overs.
“It was plausible, honestly. We could have been better, considering the start we got in the middle overs, the way Ishan and I recreated the momentum. And then from there on, we lost back-to-back wickets, and then suddenly pressure on the new batsmen,” Iyer said after the game.
“It wasn’t an easy wicket to play on, especially when the ball was seeming and holding a bit, and also skidding through at times. You must have seen a couple of time, myself and Tilak we got out in a similar fashion. It was challenging, especially of that hard length, but to get to 194, it was reasonable, I feel,” he added.
Further, Iyer expressed disappointment over India’s poor bowling and fielding efforts as New Zealand chased down the target in 18 overs with seven wickets in hand. However, Iyer admitted that it was a great learning experience for everyone in the Indian T20I side.
“I think we still could have been better with our bowling and fielding. We were a bit sloppy, but great learning. I think coming overseas, coming to New Zealand, getting to play on such different occasions, different grounds, great learning curve,” he observed.
“Absolutely, I think the first three games absolutely studied the rhythm for us. And then coming in the last two games, I feel we were in this position where we wanted to experiment and also challenge ourselves a bit more. And today was the right opportunity, and obviously we didn’t live up to it, but great learning, as I mentioned,” he concluded.
