India captain Shreyas Iyer said his team’s bowling and fielding fell short during the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. Despite losing the last two games, India secured a 3-2 series victory. Iyer called the tour a "great learning curve" and noted that the team must improve their fielding efforts.
Iyer calls New Zealand tour a 'great learning curve' after India close out 3-2 series victory
India captain Shreyas Iyer has conceded that his side's bowling and fielding fell short of expectations during the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, even as he welcomed the 3-2 series win as a valuable learning experience in unfamiliar conditions.
India won the first three matches to seal the series before losing the last two, including the finale in Hamilton where New Zealand chased down 192. "We still could have been better with our bowling and fielding. We were a bit sloppy, but great learning. Coming overseas, coming to New Zealand, getting to play on such different occasions, different grounds, it was a great learning curve," Iyer said at the post-match presentation.
It was India's first series win in a SENA country under Iyer's captaincy, having begun his tenure with defeats in Ireland and England. "The first three games absolutely set the rhythm for us. Then coming into the last two games, I feel we were in a position where we wanted to experiment and also challenge ourselves a bit more. Today was the right opportunity, and obviously, we didn't live up to it, but great learning," he said.
Pressed on the areas that need work, Iyer pointed squarely at the fielding effort. "We have to work on a couple of things, especially fielding. That is one aspect of the game we need to improve on. But honestly, it's not that easy when you come under such dark lights and clear skies. You don't get that much in India, but it was a great learning curve," he added, while stressing that the players remain in high spirits with the ODI series beginning November 4.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner, meanwhile, was left to reflect on what might have been. "We'll reflect on that, and we know that it was a very tight series. Those small moments in the first couple of games, we probably could have won or should have. So, the series could have looked a lot different," Santner said.
"From a cricketing point of view, there's a lot of good stuff. The batting was really good, and then the bowling. Guys adapted brilliantly the last couple of games. There's a lot of positives. Obviously, the scoreline shows 3-2 to India, but it could have been the other way around."