'We fell short in our bowling': Shreyas Iyer reacts to India's defeat against New Zealand

India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer admitted that the team “fell short” with the ball after suffering an 87-run defeat against New Zealand in the fourth T20I. He also praised Glenn Phillips for his match-winning century.

“I think we fell a bit short in our bowling to start with. Powerplay, especially in the third over, they got that momentum from there on, and yeah, couple of bowlers, they tried to squeeze in, but I think exceptional knock by Glenn. Some phenomenal shots, which were like pure bliss. So kudos to him. He’s been consistent throughout the series, so a lot to learn from him,” Iyer said during the post-match presentation.

Phillips smashed 107 runs off just 49 balls, hitting six fours and 10 sixes. Michael Bracewell also played a quick knock of 65 off 25 deliveries as New Zealand posted 259/7 after being asked to bat first.

The duo added 115 runs in just 40 balls for the third wicket, helping the hosts recover after losing two early wickets.

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India’s chase got off to a poor start as Jacob Duffy picked up two wickets in the first over, dismissing Sanju Samson (4) and Ishan Kishan (0).

Duffy eventually finished with figures of 4/23, while Mitchell Santner and Matthew Fisher claimed two wickets each. India eventually managed 172/9 in their 20 overs.

Iyer scored 22 runs off 11 balls, including four boundaries. He said India would need to analyse their performance and improve their execution before the final match.

“I feel that it’s important to retrospect, see where we can actually bounce back, coming into Hamilton and just a day off. So I personally feel that we can probably go back to the drawing board and see to it we analyse and try to execute to the best of our abilities in the next game,” he said.

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The Indian captain also spoke about the challenges some players faced while adjusting to New Zealand’s ground dimensions and playing conditions.

“Conversation was just that we knew that the dimensions are going to be like this, and some of them, it’s their first time playing on such grounds. So it takes a bit of time for them to adapt to the challenge. It’s not that easy, I understand that, but the way they executed the first three games, it was magnificent, and yeah, this is just a learning curve, I feel, that next time when they come here, they would probably have a better idea on how to go about their business. So a great learning curve, and hopefully we come back positive in the next game,” Iyer added.

Despite the loss, India have already secured the five-match series with an unassailable 3-1 lead, having won the first three matches. The fifth and final T20I will be played in Hamilton.

With inputs from agencies