India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer explained why Sanju Samson replaced teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the fifth T20I against England at Southampton. Iyer said that the team wanted the best combination for the conditions and preferred a right-handed batter alongside Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order.
Team India suffered a 56-run defeat in the fifth T20I on Saturday, July 11, handing England a 4-0 series victory. The Men in Blue also lost the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men's T20I rankings. Opening alongside Abhishek Sharma, Samson scored 27 runs, but the visitors failed to chase down England's target of 258.
"He Has Won So Many Series for Us" - Shreyas Iyer On Sanju Samson's Return
Shreyas Iyer said that Sanju Samson's experience and previous match-winning performances also played a key role in the decision. Speaking after the match, Iyer said:
"We needed to try the best combination that would be perfect in these conditions. And we also wanted a right-hander to go on with Abhishek (Sharma). So, that was one of the major reasons. And if you see, I was the only one out of all the left-handers who was a right-hander.
So, as I mentioned earlier, we wanted to try a different combination which would be suitable for this particular game. And he's a gun batsman. He has won so many series for us in the past. So, yeah, one of those reasons."
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi featured in the previous three T20Is and showed glimpses of his attacking ability. The 15-year-old scored 14 off 10 on debut before making 13 off five and 15 off nine in the next two matches.
"They Outplayed Us In All Departments" - Shreyas Iyer On India's 4-0 Series Defeat
Shreyas Iyer admitted that India struggled to adapt to different conditions throughout the series. He said that constant travel between venues made it difficult to adjust quickly, but also acknowledged that England performed better in every department.
"We kept on going from one venue to another, and we kept on facing challenges, especially in terms of the dimensions, the grounds, the conditions. Just to adapt to it as quickly as we could have anticipated, that didn't happen. That was one challenge. And the other one is definitely that they outplayed us in all departments, I would say. So, I think a combination of all these points definitely led to this result."
The defeat in Southampton extended India's winless run to six T20Is under Shreyas Iyer's captaincy. The run includes a 2-0 series defeat to Ireland and has increased criticism over the team's inconsistent batting, poor fielding, and frequent changes to the playing XI.
"It Definitely Hurts"- Shreyas Iyer on series lost against England
Shreyas Iyer admitted that the 4-0 series defeat was disappointing but described it as an important learning experience for both himself and the younger players. He said that his team could not match the hosts' execution throughout the series.
"It definitely hurts. But I feel that it's a great learning for me as a captain and also for other players who have played here for the first time. And when I say great learning, it's all about how you turn up for the tournament. You can't just have that mindset that you will come to England and you will win the series."
"You need to work hard, you need to be focused, which we were as a team. But I personally feel that they played exceptional cricket throughout in all three departments. So, probably, you see, the results also went in their favour because they were comprehensive in all three departments."
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