India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer explained why Sanju Samson replaced teenage opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the fifth T20I against England in Southampton. Iyer said the team wants the best combination for the conditions and prefers a right-handed batsman along with Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order.
Team India suffered a 56-run defeat in the fifth T20 match on Saturday, July 11, as England won the series 4-0. The Men in Blue also lost the No. 1 spot in the ICC men’s T20I rankings. Opening with Abhishek Sharma, Samson scored 27 runs, but the visiting team failed to achieve England’s target of 258 runs.
“He has won many series for us” – Shreyas Iyer on Sanju Samson’s comeback
Shreyas Iyer said that Sanju Samson’s experience and previous match-winning performance also played an important role in the decision. Speaking after the match, Iyer said:
“We needed to try the best combination which would be perfect in these conditions. And we also wanted a right-handed batsman along with Abhishek (Sharma). So, that was one of the major reasons. And if you see, I was the only one among all the left-handed players who was right-handed.
So, as I mentioned earlier, we wanted to try a different combination that would be suitable for this particular game. And he is a gun batsman. He has won many series for us in the past. So, yes, one of those reasons.”
Vaibhav Suryavanshi has performed in the last three T20Is and shown glimpses of his attacking potential. The 15-year-old scored 14 off 10 in the first match and 13 off five and 15 off nine in the next two matches.
“They beat 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 the constant travel between venues made it difficult to adjust quickly, but he also acknowledged that England performed better in every department.
“We kept moving from one place to another, and we kept facing challenges, especially in terms of dimensions, grounds, conditions. To adapt to it as quickly as we could have hoped, but it didn’t happen. That was a challenge. And the second one is definitely that they outclassed us in all departments, I would say. So, I think the combination of all these points definitely led to this result.”
The defeat in Southampton extended India’s winning streak of six T20 matches under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer. This sequence of events included a 2–0 series defeat to Ireland and increased criticism of the team’s inconsistent batting, poor fielding and frequent changes to the playing eleven.
“It definitely hurts”- Shreyas Iyer on losing the series against England
Shreyas Iyer admitted that the 4-0 series defeat was disappointing but called it an important learning experience for both himself and the young players. He said that his team could not match the performance of the hosts throughout the series.
“It definitely hurts. But I think it’s a huge learning for me as a captain and also for other players playing here for the first time. And when I say great learning, it’s about how you perform for the tournament. You can’t just have the mindset that you’ll come to England and win the series.”
“You need to work hard, you need to be focused, as we were as a team. But I personally think he played exceptional cricket in all three departments. So, perhaps, you see, the results also went in his favor because he was comprehensive in all three departments.”
