T20I team in transition: Shreyas Iyer makes bizarre apology after T20I loss in Bristol
India captain Shreyas Iyer gave a bizarre explanation for India’s series loss to England after the defending world champions suffered yet another disappointing defeat on Thursday. India made a pitiful capitulation in the T20I series against Ireland and England, losing five out of six matches under Iyer’s leadership.
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony after England sealed an unassailable 3-1 lead in Bristol, Iyer insisted the current Indian side was in a “transitional phase” and said mistakes were to be expected as several youngsters continued to adapt to conditions overseas.
“You see, this is a transition phase and we’re going to make a lot of mistakes. You see a lot of young guys here playing in these conditions for the first time. So the mistakes will definitely make them realize how important it is to adapt and have that awareness when you come to overseas conditions.”
IND vs ENG Highlights, 4th T20I
The explanation is likely to divide opinion given that India are the defending T20 World Champions and have retained the core of the side that lifted the trophy. While the team has introduced youngsters like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Prince Yadav, several experienced players continue to form the backbone of the XI.
However, Iyer argued that players will emerge stronger if they learn quickly from their mistakes.
“Definitely. It’s important that you learn quickly from your mistakes so that the team ultimately benefits. And I’m sure they’re quick learners in the team. I’m sure they’ll assess themselves and be stronger next game.”
SHREYAS LONE BRIGHT SPOT FROM BRISTOL
The India captain was the only bright spot with the bat in Bristol, finishing unbeaten on 80 as the rest of the batting line-up struggled against England’s pace attack. However, Iyer admitted that his innings was of little value in the losing cause.
“I’m definitely happy with my performance, but we’ll see if it’s not because of the win, it’s just an aside. I’m disappointed from that point of view because whenever I play, I want to perform and see my team win. But unfortunately, today wasn’t that day. I’m definitely looking forward to the next game.”
India were all out for just 158 after another stunning batting before Harry Brook and Phil Salt put together an unbeaten 146-run stand to chase down the target in just 13.5 overs.
Reflecting on the defeat, Iyer admitted that India fell far short of a competitive total.
“It was disappointing again. 158 was definitely not a perfect total on the board. And in the end, we saw how quickly they went down.”
The skipper also felt that India failed to execute their bowling plans after making an encouraging start with the early dismissal of Jose Buttler.
“When we got to bowling, I asked our bowlers to repeat the lengths as much as possible because the top of middle stump and leg stump were very difficult to hit and judge the boundaries. So I think we were a bit behind in terms of our execution. And yes, we saw that when we changed the pace, when we tried something different, they scored those loose balls.”
India will now head into the fifth and final T20I in Southampton looking to avoid a 4-1 series defeat, with Iyer still looking for his first win as India’s T20I captain after six matches in charge.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
10 Jul 2026 05:30 IST