Shreyas Iyer Explains India Heavy Defeat And Pitch Behavior vs New Zealand

In the fourth ODI match played against New Zealand, the Indian cricket team had to face a very embarrassing and crushing defeat. In this match, Team India was bundled out for a total score of just 89 runs, due to which the Indian team had to suffer a defeat by a massive margin of 244 runs. After this massive defeat, there is a lot of discussion in the cricket world about what the exact reasons were that caused the Indian batting lineup to collapse completely. On the very same 22-yard strip where the New Zealand team batted first and brilliantly posted a huge total of 333 runs, the batsmen of the Indian team struggled to survive and the entire team was restricted to just 89 runs.

Shreyas Iyer Reveals The Real Reason For Loss

After the match, Indian batsman Shreyas Iyer came forward to openly discuss the reasons for the defeat and explained why Team India batting collapsed like a house of cards. Shreyas Iyer stated that a very big difference was observed in the behavior of the pitch during the first innings and the second innings. Praising the bowling of Matt Henry, he said that Henry bowled in the right and accurate areas, and full credit for that should be given to him. According to Iyer, as easy as it seemed to bat in the first innings, conditions proved to be much more difficult and challenging in the second innings.

An Unexpected Twist For Team India

Shreyas Iyer further revealed that before the start of the match and during the first innings, they didn't feel at all that the pitch would behave in this manner. He said that the team thought the wicket was quite better for batting because they had seen New Zealand batsmen score over 330 runs on this very pitch. Accepting the mistakes made during the game, Iyer mentioned that some catches were also dropped in the match, which is a part of the game and happens on the field. When the Indian players went back to the dressing room during the innings break, they had the thought in their minds that they would chase this target easily. However, after going out on the field, the way the ball was seaming in and out surprised everyone.

The Pitch Was Playing Differently

Shreyas Iyer clarified that the pitch was playing in a completely different way and its true nature came out during the second innings. He stated that Indian batsmen didn't lose their wickets by playing bad shots, but rather their dismissals came on very good deliveries, and all the balls were brilliant ones. Expressing the desire to forget the outcome of this match, Iyer said that they now want to leave this match completely behind. The team will review where and what went wrong in both the bowling and batting departments. He also mentioned that the Team India will now step onto the field in the upcoming match with a fresh and clear mind.

The Scenario For The Next Match

The fifth and final ODI match between India and New Zealand will be played on upcoming Sunday. This deciding match of the series is extremely important because only after winning this match will the ODI series officially belong to Team India. This fifth and final encounter of the series is also scheduled to be played on this very ground, due to which all eyes are fixed on how the Indian team makes a strong comeback after this heavy defeat and what changes they make to their strategies.