Shreyas Iyer Blames Bowlers After India's Loss To Ireland On His 1st T20I As Captain

Shreyas Iyer speaks after defeat [Source: screengrab]

Team India suffered a shocking 34-run defeat to Ireland in the first T20I of their two-match series in Belfast. The ‘Men in Blue’ suffered the demoralizing outcome mere months after getting crowned the T20 World Champions for the second time in two years.

Ushering in a new era for Team India after the 2026 T20 World Cup, newly appointed skipper Shreyas Iyer seemingly failed on both counts, as a leader and as batter, on his return to T20I cricket after a gap of over two-and-a-half years. 

Speaking after the match, the 31-year-old has now urged his teammates to forget about the defeat in a bid to focus on the impending decider at the same venue. 

Shreyas Iyer reflects forgettable captaincy debut

While speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer credited his fast bowlers for taking the early wickets against Ireland. However, the cricketer admitted that his team let Ireland off the hook by making them “hit straight down the ground” on several occasions.

He also credited Ireland batters for getting to 182-9 on a surface where he thought 140 would have been a par score. 

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Shreyas Iyer said “I think initially the bowler's were bowling really well. They got lethal and picked up a couple of wickets as well. After that, we lost execution. We made them hit straight down the ground. We knew that the dimensions are pretty small but they were few other bowlers with whom we had to shut down the overs.”

He added “They were brilliant as well. I thought 140 would've 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 on this condition, got a fair idea on this wicket and yeah, great start as a captain.”

The Indian batter further urged his teammates to forget about the shambolic defeat in a bid to focus on the impending decider. 

Shreyas Iyer stated “Yes, we have to forget this game and focus on Sunday. Definitely we have a lot of learn from this game but we have to come out all guns blazing in our next game.”

India set to ‘not win’ a T20I assignment for the first time since August 2023

Appointed as India’s T20I captain as a replacement of World Cup-winning skipper Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer failed to lead his side to victory against Ireland in his first T20I match after a gap of two-and-a-half years. 

The outcome not only marked Ireland’s first-ever T20I victory over India, but also ensured that the ‘Men in Blue’ will not win the ongoing two-match series. It is worth noting that ever since losing the five-match rubber in the West Indies way back in August 2023, India has won every single T20I series, bilateral or multi-nation tournaments like Asia Cup and T20 World Cups.

The best result India can achieve at the moment is a 1-1 draw by winning the second T20I this Sunday at the same venue. 

India stumble for 148 in chase of 183

Chasing 183 for a win, India folded up for just 148 in 18.5 overs. Abhishek Sharma got his side off to a flier with his blistering 20-ball half-century, but lack of assistance from the other end ensured the tourists were not aided with a single notable partnership.

For Ireland, Matt Hollard picked up three wickets to win the ‘Player of the Match’ award.

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