India lost their fourth straight T20I against England in Southampton on Saturday, losing the series 4-0 and surrendering the number one ranking to their opponents. A major talking point was the exclusion of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and the return of Sanju Samson for the last game, who made 27 runs in the 258-run chase.
Captain Shreyas Iyer explained the reasoning behind the decision, stating that the team wanted a right-hander to open the batting with Abhishek Sharma and they wanted to try a new combination.
“We needed to try the best combination that would be perfect in these conditions. And we also wanted a right-hander to go on with Abhishek (Sharma). So, that was one of the major reasons. And if you see, I was the only one out of all the left-handers who was a right-hander,” Iyer said in the post-match press conference.
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“So, as I mentioned earlier, we wanted to try a different combination which would be suitable for this particular game. And he’s a gun batsman. He has won so many series for us in the past. So, yeah, one of those reasons,” he added.
The right-hander also stressed the challenges with playing at different venues and admitted that England had outplayed India in all departments.
“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. Just to adapt to it as quickly as we could have anticipated, that didn’t happen. That was one challenge. And the other one is definitely that they outplayed us in all departments, I would say. So, I think a combination of all these points definitely led to this result.
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The series against England was Iyer’s second as captain, and the 31-year-old remains winless as the T20I captain. The right-hander admitted that the series was a learning experience for him and the other players in the squad, and that they were hurt by the defeat.
“It definitely hurts. But I feel that it’s a great learning for me as a captain and also for other players who have played here for the first time. And when I say great learning, it’s all about how you turn up for the tournament. You can’t just have that mindset that you will come to England and you will win the series. You need to work hard, you need to be focused, which we were as a team.”
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“But I personally feel that they played exceptional cricket throughout in all three departments. So, probably, you see, the results also went in their favour because they were comprehensive in all three departments,” he said.
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Iyer also pointed out the importance of fielding, admitting that the opposition had dominated India in that aspect and how a team’s fielding went a long way in developing a ‘rhythm’ within the team.
“See, the majority of us, we have played together in the IPL. We know our strengths and weaknesses. Just in terms of the fielding, I think it plays a key role, especially building that momentum and energy around the team environment. And when we went to Ireland, fielded here, I think we were definitely dominated by them in that aspect.”
“Why I feel fielding is very important is because it basically creates a rhythm in the team in all the matches. So, especially in T20, where your fitness demands, you need to be agile, you need to be aware about how the conditions are going to be, and especially different outfields and different wickets. So, I think that’s one department. If we are probably the best, if we basically dream to be the best team-wise, we will definitely prosper,” he added.
