India captain Shreyas Iyer acknowledged that his team is going through a “transition phase” after England sealed the five-match T20I series with a commanding nine-wicket victory in the fourth match.
The defeat handed India back-to-back bilateral series losses and gave England an unassailable 3-0 lead, leaving the visitors searching for answers ahead of the final game. Despite producing a fighting unbeaten 80 off 49 balls, Iyer admitted India’s overall performance fell well below expectations.
India recovered from an early collapse to post 158 for 7, but the total proved inadequate as England chased it down in just 13.5 overs. Reflecting on the defeat, the Indian skipper said the team failed to execute its plans with both bat and ball. “Again it was a disappointing one. 158 wasn’t the perfect total on the board. Eventually we saw how quickly they chased it down. When we came onto bowl I just asked the bowlers to repeat the lengths as much as possible. Top of middle and leg was difficult to score off. We fell short on our execution,” Iyer said after the match.
Although satisfied with his personal contribution, Iyer stressed that individual performances hold little value if they do not help the team win. “Definitely happy with my performance, but if it’s not in the winning cause, it just goes to the side. I’m disappointed because whenever I play, I want to perform and make sure my team wins. Unfortunately, today wasn’t that day. We’ll definitely look forward to the next game,” he added. Looking at the bigger picture, Iyer described the current Indian side as one that is still evolving, urging his teammates to learn quickly from setbacks.
“This is a transition phase and we will be making mistakes. We have to realise how important it is to adapt. I’m sure there are quick learners in the team and they will assess themselves,” he said, expressing confidence that the squad would improve with experience. England captain Harry Brook, meanwhile, praised his side’s adaptability and credited the strong communication between players and the coaching staff for the convincing victory. “That was good fun tonight. Always good to beat India. To beat them 3-0 with one game to go… very happy,” Brook said.
He added that England had adjusted well to the conditions throughout the series and highlighted the role of coaches in ensuring players were well prepared. Brook also reserved special praise for fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue, whose disciplined spells restricted India before the hosts produced another explosive batting display. “Jofra and Tongue again, like a house on fire,” he said, while also reiterating England’s ambition of becoming the world’s top-ranked T20I side. A victory in the fifth and final match in Southampton would see England complete a series sweep and potentially replace reigning world champions India at the top of the ICC T20I rankings, adding further significance to the series finale.