India captain Shreyas Iyer blames fielding and batting for T20I defeat
India lost the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand by seven wickets at Seddon Park on Sunday.
India captain Shreyas Iyer admitted his team fell short in batting, bowling, and fielding during their seven-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the fifth T20I at Seddon Park on Sunday. Although India won the five-match series 3-2, Iyer noted the team failed to maintain momentum.
India posted 191/8 after being asked to bat first. Ishan Kishan scored 61 off 32 balls and Iyer contributed 50 off 23 deliveries, with the pair adding 93 runs for the third wicket after the score was 19/2.
New Zealand chased the target in 17.4 overs. Tim Seifert scored 93 off 50 balls, while Glenn Phillips remained unbeaten on 65 off 38 balls to secure the victory.
Iyer said the team could have been better after the momentum created by Kishan and himself. He also noted the surface was challenging due to seam and variable bounce, stating that he and Tilak were dismissed in a similar fashion.
The captain identified fielding as an area for improvement, mentioning that Naman Dhir dropped Seifert on 13 and Sanju Samson missed a chance to dismiss Phillips in the 15th over. Iyer said the team needs to work on fielding.
Iyer described the series as a learning experience. India had previously held an unassailable 3-0 lead before New Zealand won the final two matches to end the series 3-2.