"It Was Atrocious ": Shreyas Iyer Makes Brutal First Remark On India's Embarrassing Defeat

Shreyas Iyer [Source: X.com]

Team India suffered a demoralizing defeat to England in the third T20I to go 0-2 down in the five-match series. Chasing 202 runs for a win, the ‘Men in Blue’ secured one of their biggest defeats in T20I history.

Under the leadership of newly-appointed captain Shreyas Iyer, the Indian cricket team is yet to notch up a single win, considering they started off their ongoing European tour with a shambolic 0-2 loss in Ireland last week.

After India’s latest defeat, their fourth in succession, captain Iyer reflected the team’s mindset for upcoming matches. 

Shreyas Iyer rues bowlers, powerplay batting after defeat

Winning the toss and opting to bowl first, Indian bowlers conceded over 200 runs to hosts England at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on July 7. While speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony, visiting captain Shreyas Iyer blamed his bowlers for conceding too many runs at the Trent Bridge surface.

The cricketer also called his team’s performance ‘atrocious’, and the margin of defeat ‘unacceptable’. Moreover, the 31-year-old also lamented India’s powerplay approach, as they lost each of their top five batters, including himself, inside the first six overs.

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He said “I think it was atrocious. Can't think of any other word. Losing by that big margin is not acceptable. We need to accept this loss and go back to the drawing board. I don't think it was a 200 wicket. It was not that kind of pitch. But we lost 4 wickets in the powerplay, which itself was a big setback.”

Shreyas further stated that his bowlers failed to bowl enough hard length deliveries on this surface, and blamed the entire team overall for putting up an ‘awful execution’ of planning.

He added “You can plan a lot in team meetings. But once you are in the ground, you need to figure out what lengths to bowl. For example, hard lengths worked here. We did not bowl them often. Similarly, when you are batting and chasing 200, you need to pace and plan your innings. I would say, it was just awful execution.”

Shreyas Iyer vows to come back stronger

The national skipper also vowed that Team India will make a stronger return for the remaining two matches of the series. Trailing 0-2 after the first three matches, the visitors need to win each of the two impending games to level the five-match rubber. 

He said “We have an opportunity to come back stronger. The key is to not dwell much. We have played awful cricket. But there are a lot of learnings as well. We have to think of how to create momentum. Every individual has to think how can they contribute towards the team's cause.”

India suffers biggest defeat, concede second lowest T20I total

England batted first and mounted 201-7 from 20 overs. Firebrand opener Phil Salt bludgeoned 70 runs off just 44 balls to top-score in the innings. Jos Buttler also made 36 off 21 at the top of the order.

Sam Curran scored a fiery 24-ball 41* to provide the finishing touches to the innings. For India, fast bowlers Harshit Rana and Prince Yadav picked up two wickets each.

Chasing 202, India folded up for just 76 in 11.4 overs to record their second lowest team total in T20I history. The defeat margin of 125 runs also marked their biggest ever in the format. 

India will now face England in a must-win fourth T20I of the five-match series on Thursday, July 9 at the County Ground in Bristol. The action is slated to commence from 10:00 PM IST onwards.

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