Indian captain Shreyas Iyer defended leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi after India’s defeat against England in the second T20I in Manchester. Bishnoi had a tough outing, conceding 45 runs in his four overs without picking up a wicket.
Despite the expensive spell, Iyer threw his support behind the right-arm leg spinner, stating that he knows Bishnoi’s capabilities and believes one bad game does not define his quality.
Shreyas Iyer emphasized that defending a total on a good batting track like Old Trafford can be difficult, especially with the wet ball making it hard for spinners to grip.
Bishnoi was targeted heavily by the English batters during the middle overs, which completely shifted the momentum of the game. However, the Indian captain made it clear that the team management retains full confidence in Bishnoi’s skills and expects him to bounce back strongly in the remaining matches of the series.
Rather than blaming individual performances, Shreyas Iyer focused on the collective bowling effort. He noted that the entire bowling unit struggled to execute their plans during the death overs, allowing England to escape with the win. Iyer refrained from placing the blame on any particular individual and noted that his side were cruising towards a victory in the 15th over before everything changed.
“I think we all know where it went, but I don’t want to pinpoint any particular player. The way we were cruising until the 15th, I think we were doing exceptionally well,” Iyer said at the post-match presentation.
“And then suddenly the momentum shifted towards them and from there on, I felt it was a cakewalk for them. I think one, I was like, okay, he is going to come back strong after that,” Shreyas Iyer added.
What Happened in the 2nd T20I
The match began with 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi making his debut, making him India’s youngest-ever international player. Sent in to bat, India built a strong total of 190 for 7. Abhishek Sharma gave the team a fast start with 43 off 24 balls, and Ishan Kishan top-scored with 49.
Shreyas Iyer made 37 before India lost quick wickets in the middle overs. Tilak Varma finished the innings strongly, hitting an unbeaten 24 off 11 balls to push India past 190. Sam Curran bowled well for England, taking 3 for 33.
England started their chase poorly, losing openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler for ducks against Arshdeep Singh. However, Jacob Bethell completely changed the game for the hosts. Bethell smashed an unbeaten 76 runs from 46 balls, hitting five fours and five sixes.
He shared match-winning partnerships with Harry Brook and Tom Banton to take control of the chase. England reached the 191-run target in 19 overs with four wickets to spare, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.