New Delhi: India captain Shreyas Iyer admitted that his side let the match slip away in the closing stages of the second T20I against England but refused to blame any individual for the defeat. While he identified Ravi Bishnoi’s expensive 17th over as the turning point, Iyer backed the leg-spinner to bounce back stronger.
England defeated India by four wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after the opening T20I was washed out by rain. Chasing 191, the hosts were rocked early as Arshdeep Singh dismissed Phil Salt and Jos Buttler for ducks in the opening over. However, aggressive knocks from Harry Brook (39), Jacob Bethell (76) and Tom Banton (39) revived England’s chase.
India appeared to be in control after 16 overs, with England needing 49 runs from the final four overs. The game, however, turned on its head when Ravi Bishnoi conceded 29 runs in the 17th over, including two no-balls, dramatically swinging the momentum in England’s favour.
What Shreyas Iyer said
Speaking after the match, Iyer said he was aware of where India had fallen short but chose not to single out any player.
“I know where we fell short, but I won’t name any specific player. We lost the momentum after 15 overs.”
Reflecting on Bishnoi’s costly over, the skipper added:
“That no-ball… I think he will bounce back well. The match slipped away in that 17th over, and he’ll learn from it. Overall, I felt 190 was a competitive total on this wicket.”
Iyer also praised Tilak Varma for his late cameo of 24* off 11 balls, saying the innings helped India post a challenging target. The India captain was equally complimentary of England’s batting, particularly Jacob Bethell.
“Credit to Jacob Bethell for the way he played. I also felt Sam Curran understood the dimensions of the ground well and didn’t allow our left-handers to play freely.”
Iyer also had encouraging words for debutant Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who scored 14 off 10 balls.
“He has a fearless approach. It was wonderful to watch him bat. I didn’t feel he was nervous at all. He’s performed consistently over the last few months, and I thought he handled the situation really well.”
Unwanted record for Iyer
The defeat also left Shreyas Iyer with an unwanted record. Among Indian captains who have led the team in at least four matches, he is the first to go winless in his opening four games. Under his leadership, India lost two T20Is against Ireland, while the first T20I against England was abandoned before the team suffered defeat in the second match.
