India captain Shreyas Iyer admitted his side failed to execute their plans with both bat and ball after England sealed the T20I series with a commanding nine-wicket victory in the fourth match at the County Ground.
India posted a below-par 158/7 despite Iyer’s valiant unbeaten 80 off 49 balls, before Harry Brook and Phil Salt combined in a match-winning 151-run unbeaten stand to power England to 159/1 in just 13.5 overs and take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
‘158 wasn’t the perfect total’: Shreyas Iyer
Iyer conceded that India’s total was never likely to be enough on a good batting surface and felt the bowlers also fell short of their plans.
“Again, it was a disappointing one. Definitely, 158 wasn’t the perfect total on the board. And eventually we saw how quickly they chased it down.
“When we came on to bowl, I asked our bowlers to keep hitting the top of middle and leg stump because it was difficult to score boundaries from there. But we fell a bit short in terms of execution. Whenever we tried changing the pace or something different, they capitalised on those loose deliveries,” Iyer said after the match.
Iyer was the lone bright spot in India’s batting effort, rescuing the innings after another top-order collapse with a composed 80 not out that included four fours and five sixes.
However, the skipper said individual milestones meant little in defeat.
“I’m happy with my performance, but if it doesn’t come in a winning cause, it doesn’t mean much. Whenever I play, I want to contribute to the team’s victory. Unfortunately, today wasn’t that day. Hopefully, we’ll come back stronger in the next game,” he said.
Backs youngsters during transition phase
Iyer also urged patience with the young Indian side, describing the current squad as one in transition and insisting overseas experience would help the players improve.
“This is a transition phase and we are bound to make mistakes. A lot of youngsters are playing in these conditions for the first time. Those mistakes will help them understand how important it is to adapt and develop awareness in overseas conditions.
“It’s important that you learn quickly from those mistakes so the team benefits. I’m sure we have quick learners in the dressing room. They’ll assess themselves and return stronger in the next game,” he added.
England end India’s dominant run
England’s victory not only secured the series with one match remaining but also marked their first-ever bilateral T20I series win over India in a contest of two or more matches.
Before this series, India had won 11 of their previous 12 bilateral T20I series, with the only exception being a 1-1 drawn series in South Africa in December 2023.