Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer pinpointed the loss of momentum after the 15th over as the turning point in India's 4-wicket defeat to England in the second T20I in Manchester on Saturday. The match turned further in England's favour during the 17th over, Iyer noted.
Iyer backs Ravi Bishnoi, praises Tilak Varma
Iyer backed spinner Ravi Bishnoi, saying the youngster will learn from the experience and return stronger. He described India's total as competitive and highlighted Tilak Varma's valuable late cameo of 20 runs in the final over. Iyer credited England's Jacob Bethell for his aggressive batting and Sam Curran for cleverly using the ground dimensions to restrict India's left-handed batters by denying them scoring opportunities on the leg side.
"I know where it all went away, but I don't want to pinpoint any particular player. After the 15th game, momentum went away. [On Bishnoi] I think he'll come back stronger. Then the game got away in the 17th over... he'll have to learn. It was a phenomenal score on this track, Tilak's phenomenal 20 in the final over. Credit where due: watching Bethell, he definitely took on the bowlers. I think Sam Curran analysed the dimensions of the ground early on and did not give room to our left-handers. The batters are strong on the leg side; he was not letting them play there," Iyer said after the match.
Debutant Vaibhav Sooryavanshi impresses
Speaking about debutant Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Iyer admired his fearless attitude, saying he never expected him to be nervous. "[Sooryavanshi debut] I think he's got that unflinching attitude. It's just sensational to watch. I wasn't anticipating him to be nervous, sensational cricket over the last couple of months and years. Definitely stepped up to the occasion, pleasing to the eye," Iyer said.
Bethell's half-century powers England to victory
A majestic half-century from Jacob Bethell helped England edge past India by 4 wickets. Bethell played a commanding innings of 76 off 46 balls, laced with 5 fours and 5 sixes, leading the hosts to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20 series after the first match was washed out due to rain. Bethell slammed Ravi Bishnoi for 29 runs and brought up an excellent fifty to get the game under control for the hosts.
