India captain Shreyas Iyer has sent a strong message to his team after they started the tour of UK with a defeat to Ireland in Belfast on Friday. Playing their first T20 International since they won the T20 World Cup in March, India were humbled by the hosts Ireland by 34 runs. It means, Iyer’s tenure as India’s T20 captain started with a defeat.
Set 183 to win, India were all out for 148 in 18.5 overs with Abhishek Sharma being the lone batsman to put up a fight. “I think you can’t take anything for granted. You can’t just turn up and win matches. You have to work hard and see to it that you’re in that moment. Like I mentioned earlier, you’ve got to stay in the present and see to it that if you’ve got that opportunity to squeeze the opponent, we’ve got to do that. And yeah, never take any moment or situation lightly,” Iyer, who took over from Suryakumar Yadav said.
Having reduced Ireland to 51/4 to one stage, India let them end up with 182/9 on board with the hosts scoring 114 runs in the last 10 overs. And Iyer said his team should have restricted Ireland to 140. “I think initially, the bowlers were bowling well. They got lateral movement, and they got a couple of wickets as well. So we got a tremendous start, but in between, we lost execution. We made them hit straight down the ground, where we know that the dimensions are pretty small. But then, yeah, the bowlers, when we had to shut down the overs, they were brilliant as well. So I thought 140 would have been an amazing score considering the start that we got to chase. But nonetheless, it’s a great experience over here. We got to play in these conditions, got a fair idea about the wicket, and yeah, great start as a captain,” he said before adding. “Yes, definitely. We’re going to forget what’s happened.”
The bright spot for India in the defeat was the return of pacer Harshit Rana, who straightaway got amongst the wickets. Similarly, all-rounder Shivam Dube too contributed with a crucial strike before Ireland ran away with the game. “They were getting help up front at the start, and Shivam, he has bowled crucial overs in the past. So I always back him, and I’ve played with him in the domestic circuit as well. I know his strengths and weaknesses. And Harshit Rana, he bowled phenomenal. Coming out of an injury to perform at this level and showcase this sort of talent, it’s simply brilliant,” Iyer said.
