Indiathe new T20I captain Shreyas Iyer urged his team not to be complacent after the shocking defeat Ireland In the opening match of the two-match T20I series in Belfast. The defeat not only gave Ireland their first international victory over India, but also exposed a number of areas that the visitors need to quickly address ahead of the second game. While Iyer admitted the defeat was disappointing, he stressed that the experience would be an important lesson for a relatively fresh-looking Indian side adjusting to unknown conditions.
Shreyas Iyer urges India to stay grounded after awakening
Leading India for the first time in T20Is, Iyer watched his team lose control despite a great start with the ball. Ireland were reduced to 51/4 before a match-defining partnership between Gareth Delany and Lorcan Tucker turned the race on its head. Reflecting on the defeat, the Indian skipper admitted that his team paid the price for softening their shelves at crucial moments.
“You can’t take anything for granted. You can’t just come and win matches. You have to work hard and focus on being in the moment. Like I said before, you have to stay in the moment and if you have the opportunity to pressure the opponent, do it. Yeah, never take any moment or situation lightly.” Iyer said as quoted by Cricbuzz.
India’s batting also hurt their chances, with three low catches allowing Ireland’s main batsmen to extend their innings. Effectively controlling the Powerplay, the bowlers struggled to maintain the same discipline during the middle overs, repeatedly offering scoring opportunities where the boundaries were considerably shorter. Evaluating the bowling unit’s performance, Iyer acknowledged both positives and mistakes.
“I think initially the bowlers bowled well. They moved laterally and they got a couple of wickets too. So we got off to a really good start, but then we lost the execution. We hit them straight down the ground, we knew the sizes were pretty small. But then, yeah, the bowlers, when we had to close the overs, they thought it was a great start that we got.” Iyer added.
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With lessons learned, India turn their attention to the second T20I
Despite the disappointing start to the series, Iyer insisted that India must move on rather than dwell on the setback. The captain admitted some players looked rusty but believes the experience of playing in Belfast’s tough conditions will benefit the team going forward. He made it clear that the dressing room is already looking ahead to the next match.
“Yeah, definitely. We’ll forget what happened. We’ll definitely learn a lot from this game and we’ll see if we come out all guns blazing in the next game.” He explained the Mumbai batter.
Iyer also chose to highlight the positive aspects of his first match as captain, saying the team now has a better understanding of the surface and local conditions.
“It’s a great experience here. We have to play in these conditions, we got a fair idea of ​​the goalkeeper and yes, we’ve had a great start as captain.” Iyer further added.
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