“They Outplayed Us”: Iyer’s Brutally Honest Verdict On Ireland T20I Series Loss

India captain Shreyas Iyer lauded Ireland for their immaculate assessment of the conditions and perfect execution of plans in their historic 2-0 T20I series win on Sunday. After beating India by 34 runs in the first game, Ireland came back within 48 hours to pip the T20 world champions by a solitary run to complete a series win for the ages. “Not a great series but kudos to them for the way they played. They had a tremendous idea how the wicket would play and the field work was phenomenal. The bowlers were phenomenal with their execution. They outplayed us in that department,” newly-appointed skipper Iyer said at the post-series presentation ceremony. One positive was Prince Yadav’s T20 debut, as the pacer returned with a fine effort — 3 for 22. “He has got great experience in the IPL, he has his own set of ideas and plans when he comes on to bowl, Suryansh (Shedge) as well.” For Ireland, skipper Lorcan Tucker, it was an achievement that will only sink in with time.

“I can’t quite believe it. I challenged the lads to show the world that was not a one off and yeah they responded. We came out with the same intent as the previous game. We showed that cricket can be simple and you don’t need to complicate it.” Tucker was happy that the team did well despite injuries to key players ahead of the series.

“We have a lot of lads with very few caps but they showed great character. We are so lucky to have these games against India. It is a great time to be a professional cricketer in Ireland.” For Moondra, who came to do his M.Tech at the Dublin University, the Ireland dressing room now feels like home.

“Still sinking in,” the player of the match and series said.

“It is an amazing feeling. Credit to the team management [for backing me]. Everyone have ups and downs, just got to hang in and keep going through. They’ve made me feel like I’m one of them. It is a great environment, good people. Still trying to process it.”

Asked about what he did special, Moondra maintained that sticking to the basics and following the process was key for him.