Indian cricket team skipper Shreyas Iyer said that the series loss against Ireland was a ‘depressing’ one. It was Iyer’s first series as full-time T20I captain and India ended up losing both games in the two-match series.
“It wasn’t embarrassing, but it was depressing for us, because we definitely didn’t expect Ireland to play that well,” he said. “They outplayed us in every department, they had brilliant ideas about the dimensions of the ground, and we fell short in terms of analysing and planning the ground and the dimensions, and how the wicket would be played.” “Credit to them, but we learnt a lot from that series. This is a completely new chapter for us coming in here.” He continued, “A couple of us have played in England before, and we know the conditions (and) the dimensions over here. So, looking forward for an intense and challenging series,” Iyer added.
Iyer went on to say that India did not adapt properly to the conditions and that was a major reason behind the series defeat.
“(At) Belfast, we played after so many years,” he said.
“It’s not a reason (for series loss), but I’m just saying that (in) getting acclimatised to the wicket (and) to the conditions, we fell a bit short, (also) in terms of reading the outfield.”
Iyer said the ground in Stormont had a peculiar layout to which the Indian team failed to adapt.
“The Belfast ground definitely wasn’t a stadium. The outfield was a bit slow, and it wasn’t even. The dimensions were also a bit squarish,” Iyer said.
“Also as a captain, for me (while) setting the field, it felt a bit outlandish, because we’re not used to it. We were playing in the IPL, all the grounds were perfectly even from every direction. So, that was a bit challenging.” “Over here (England), the dimensions are pretty much similar, but the ground is flat, and you feel the stadium vibe, the crowd would be intense as well. We’ve played in such conditions, such situations before. So, yes, (we are) building into that,” he said.
Iyer said he is not concerned over his form after a couple of disappointing outings in Ireland.
“The way I’m timing the ball in the nets, even in the previous game, I thought I was timing brilliantly, just the odd the ball bounced and took an inner edge,” he said.
“That doesn’t justify how my batting is or how much pressure I’m taking. I definitely believe in my instincts. I know how well I play under pressure.”