Shreyas Iyer smashed 80* off 49 balls in the fourth T20I but India failed to get a win.
Former cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra praised India skipper Shreyas Iyer for his rescue act in the fourth T20I against England at Bristol on Thursday (July 9).
Chopra highlighted Iyer’s ability to anchor and single-handedly rebuild the innings after India's top-order collapsed, leaving them at a precarious 48/3. The captain went on to smash 80* off 49 balls, carrying the bulk of the team's scoring to propel India to a respectable total of 158/7.
However, England made light work of the chase, reaching 159/1 in just 13.5 overs as skipper Harry Brook (79* off 35) and Phil Salt (59* off 42) struck dominant half-centuries to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
Despite India’s heavy 9-wicket defeat, Chopra commended Iyer’s performance, saying the latter passed the batting test with flying colors.
"Shreyas Iyer needs to be praised because 30 or 35 runs had been scored when he came to bat after the fall of the second wicket. After that, 125 runs were scored in total, and he scored 80 out of that. He was going at a run-a-ball at the start for sure because the entire team's batting approach has become like that. It's okay if you play slow at the start as long as you can make up for it," Chopra said in a video shared on his YouTube channel.
"The way he took down Rashid, who was hit for 49 runs, and Shreyas scored 44 of those. He used the crease very well. Stepped out at times and used the depth of the crease on other occasions. He is actually passing this test with flying colors because he is batting well," he added.
Chopra though raised concerns over Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy as he is still searching for his maiden victory as India’s T20I skipper.
Iyer’s leadership stint got off to a disastrous start as the Men in Blue suffered a humiliating 0-2 series defeat to Ireland. The performance went downhill in England, with India failing to register a win after four outings.
"If you see his last few games as a captain, that is a bit of a problem. The Punjab Kings had won six of their first seven games, and then they won only one of the next seven, and now it's been six matches (for India), and you haven't won even one," Chopra stated.
He criticized the recent strategic decisions and tactical approaches used by Iyer, observing that while captaincy is about more than just the results, the batting group as a whole also needed to step up to turn things around.
"Shreyas Iyer, the captain, has been able to win just one of the last 13 games, and this is not a good thing that your lean patch as a captain that started in the IPL has continued for Team India as well. As a captain, he can be a little better in terms of strategy as well, but everyone will have to bat," Chopra remarked.
India will look to register a consolation win in the fifth and final T20I against England at Southampton on Saturday (July 11).