'Definitely hurt': Shreyas Iyer on 0-4 humiliation versus England
What's the story
After suffering a 0-4 defeat in the T20I series against England, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer admitted that the loss "definitely hurt." The final match of the series saw India conceding 257 runs and losing by 56 runs. This also resulted in India losing their top position in the ICC team rankings. The defeat was especially disappointing for Iyer as he has now lost six out of seven T20Is as captain, with one ending without a result.
Adaptability issues
India struggled to adapt quickly, says Iyer
Iyer credited England for their "exceptional cricket across all three departments," but emphasized the difficulty of traveling and adapting to different conditions. He said, "We kept on going from one venue to another and we kept on facing challenges especially in terms of the dimensions, the grounds, the conditions." He added that they couldn't adapt as quickly as they would have liked, which contributed to India's poor performance.
Weaknesses acknowledged
Fielding an area of concern for India
Iyer also pointed out that fielding was one area where the team fell short. However, he called the series a great learning experience for him as a captain and for those who were part of the squad for the first time. He stressed how important it is to turn up prepared for tournaments like these, saying, "You can't just have that mindset that you will come to England and you will win the series."
Team strategy
On dropping Washington Sundar for final T20I
For the final T20I, India made a couple of changes, bringing in Sanju Samson and Suryansh Shedge. When asked about dropping Washington Sundar against a strong England batting lineup, Iyer said it was a strategic decision to try something new on a pitch that suited their game plan. He explained that every individual who is part of this team right now is valuable but they wanted to find the best combination for these conditions.
Captaincy thoughts
Iyer opens up on captaincy
Reflecting on his transition from Suryakumar Yadav after India's second T20 World Cup title, Iyer said it wasn't hard and he sees it as a "privilege to be take over captaincy." He added that thriving under pressure and learning from these moments will make him better in the future. He said, "Going forward, I need to be extremely positive enough in how I'm going to basically nurture everyone who is playing around me."