Belfast, June 28 (). India suffered a 0-2 defeat in the T20 series against Ireland. After losing his first series as captain, Shreyas Iyer admitted that Ireland left his team completely behind in terms of adapting to the conditions. He said that the hosts’ style of play was very professional and they were very clear in understanding the conditions and playing accordingly.
In the match played at Civil Cricket Club on Sunday, the Irish team, who came to bat first, scored 154 runs losing 8 wickets. In response, India could only score 153/9. With this, the host team won the T20 series against Team India for the first time by winning the match by 1 run.
After losing the decider, captain Iyer said in the presentation ceremony, “I think the bowlers performed brilliantly, but our batting was a bit weak. We lagged behind a bit in terms of understanding the behavior of the pitch and converting singles into doubles. I think they definitely outshone us in that respect.”
He said, “This series has not been very good, but they (Ireland) have to be praised for how they played. I think they showed professionalism and had a very good understanding of the behavior of the pitch, and their fielding was also excellent. So congratulations to them on a great win.”
About debutant fast bowler Prince Yadav (who took 3 for 22) and seam-bowling all-rounder Suryansh Shedge, Iyer said, “Prince has good IPL experience and he has brought the same rhythm here. He has his own ideas and plans when it comes to bowling. They will definitely learn from it.”
After losing the series against Ireland, India will now play a 5-match T20 series against England from July 1. The first match will be held in Durham, after which the team will play its remaining matches at Old Trafford in Manchester (4 July), Trent Bridge in Nottingham (7 July), Seat Unique Stadium in Bristol (9 July) and Rose Bowl in Southampton (11 July).
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