Shreyas Iyer pinpoints THREE reasons for India’s shocking T20I series loss to Ireland
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Shreyas Iyer pinpoints THREE reasons for India’s shocking T20I series loss to Ireland")
Iyer pinpoints THREE reasons for India’s shocking T20I series loss to Ireland Photograph: (X/@BCCI)
"It was depressing, not embarrassing." India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer has pinpointed three tactical reasons behind the Men in Blue's shocking series loss to Ireland as the team shifts focus to the five-match series against England.
‘It wasn’t embarrassing, but depressing,’ said Team India’s newly appointed T20I captain Shreyas Iyer about his side’s shocking series whitewash to Ireland in Belfast. After Ireland stunningly secured a win over the defending world champions in the 1st T20I, they created history by thrashing the Men in Blue in the second match to complete a historic clean sweep. That defeat, however, pinched the Indian Team, which now readies for the five-match T20I series against England. Chester-Le-Street in Durham will host the opener on Wednesday (Jul 1). But before they move ahead, Iyer pinpoints three reasons behind India’s poor start to the UK tour.
Speaking to the media on the eve of the first T20I against England, Iyer said that, unlike the hosts (Ireland), the Indians were unaware of the ground sizes, which played into their hands as they made better use of them. Iyer also credited Ireland for playing as the wicket suggested, and not how the Indians played.
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“It wasn’t embarrassing, but it was depressing for us, because we definitely didn’t expect Ireland to play that well. They outplayed us in every department; they had brilliant ideas about the dimensions of the ground, and we fell short in terms of analysing and planning the ground and the dimensions, and how the wicket would be played.
“So, kudos to them, credit to them, but we learnt a lot from that series. This is a completely new chapter for us, coming in here. A couple of us have played in England before, and we know the conditions; we know the dimensions over here. So, looking forward for an intense and challenging series this one,” Shreyas said.
‘In IPL, ground dimensions were even’
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Stressing how that stadium in Belfast troubled him both as a batter to score runs and as a captain to place fielders, Iyer drew a comparison between that venue’s uneven dimensions and the ground back home, where he recently played a lot of cricket for his IPL franchise, Punjab Kings.
“I feel it’s completely different because the Belfast ground definitely wasn’t a stadium. The outfield was a bit slow, and it wasn’t even. And the dimensions are also a bit squarish. So, like cutting the singles, cutting the doubles, especially when you’re fielding in the outfield, and also the angles… as a captain, for me, setting the field felt a bit outlandish because we’re not used to it.
“We were playing in the IPL; all the grounds were perfectly even from every direction. So, that was a bit challenging. And over here also, I mean, the dimensions are pretty much similar, but the ground is flat, and you feel the vibe, you feel the stadium vibe, and the crowd would be intense as well. We’ve played in such conditions, such situations before,” Iyer noted.
Meanwhile, Iyer would like to put that result behind him and aim for glory against England, against whom he will lead the T20I side and play as a mainstay in the three One-Dayers that follow.
