Southampton [UK], July 12 : Indian captain Shreyas Iyer on Satuday (local time) praised England's outstanding performance in the fifth T20I match in Southampton, while stressing that losing wickets in "clusters" was the major reason behind the Men in Blue's defeat.
Speaking after the match, Iyer highlighted the Indian team's altered batting approach while chasing a target of 258. He emphasised that sloppy fielding cost the Indian side the match, while also hailing the match-winning performances of England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler and captain Harry Brook, noting that their knocks shifted the momentum of the game.
"There is a lot to take out of the series--conditions, awareness, and adaptation. This was the best wicket we played on, and our approach was different when we batted. Conditions kept changing from match one. We need to be aware and adapt as professionals. It is important to communicate what we could have done better. Fielding plays a key role, and we need to work on it," he said.
"Especially overseas, with different ground dimensions. We dropped catches which cost us; we might have chased down 220-225, but it was not to be. We lost wickets in clusters. We were going after the chase rather than building partnerships. We have to target bowlers and take our time. Their execution was spot on. Buttler was sensational, and Brook changed the momentum. That partnership steadied the ship," Iyer added.
England put up a powerful show at the Rose Bowl Stadium as the Three Lions decimated India by 56 runs, sealing the five-match T20I series 4-0. The Shreyas Iyer-led side also lost their Number One T20I team ranking following the one-sided loss.
Bowling first, India drew first blood early on as Phil Salt was dismissed for just 6 runs off 9 deliveries by Prasidh Krishna. However, that wicket proved to be the only moment of joy for the Men in Blue. Jos Buttler and Harry Brook subsequently put up a massive 233-run stand for the second wicket, with the English wicketkeeper scoring 131 runs off 64 balls to mark his highest-ever score in T20Is. Brook narrowly missed out on a century, scoring 95 runs off 45 balls.
The gigantic partnership propelled England to a score of 257/3 in the first innings. Chasing 258, the Indian team's woes continued as opener Abhishek Sharma fell for just 3 runs off 9 balls to Jofra Archer. Sanju Samson showcased some fluent strokeplay to score 27 off 14 balls, but he was soon dismissed by Sam Curran.
Shreyas Iyer then stitched together a partnership with Ishan Kishan, as the duo put up 55 runs off 30 balls for the third wicket. Kishan brought up a fighting half-century, while the Indian captain was dismissed for 27 runs.
Ultimately, the target proved to be too steep for the visitors, who ended their innings at 201/8, handing England a 56-run victory.