Shreyas Iyer has kicked off his India captaincy stint with four matches without a win as the Men in Blue suffered a four-wicket defeat against England in the second T20I of the five-match series at Old Trafford on Saturday (July 4).
Opting to bat first, the visitors posted a competitive 190/7 in their 20 overs. Despite reducing England to a shaky start, with Arshdeep Singh making early inroads, the momentum completely shifted in the latter half of the chase.
The hosts eventually overhauled the target with an over to spare, finishing at 191/6. Jacob Bethell led the way with an unbeaten 76 off 46 balls.
Speaking during a discussion on Sky Sports Cricket, former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik suggested that Shreyas will start feeling the pressure amid the team’s string of losses on the tour of UK.
Karthik further said while India’s batting was okay in the Manchester T20I, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi would come under scrutiny for conceding 60 runs in his four overs.
“I wouldn't say crisis, but yes, India are not a team that are used to losing three on the bounce, and that too, two to Ireland. So, there will be pressure, questions asked. What are the changes they can make? If you look at how they have matched up this game, the batting was okay. The bowling, I think Ravi Bishnoi will be a question. What do we do? How do we change up things?” Karthik stated.
“There's only a couple of days in between this game and the next one. So, is there something that they can work on? So, questions will be asked, but will they? I don't think it's a crisis, but Shreyas Iyer will feel the pinch a little bit. As much as he's putting a brave front right now, he will know that, as a leader, they'll need some results,” he added.
Karthik was effusive in praise of Bethell, who earned the Player-of-the-Match award for his dazzling knock during the second T20I.
After losing openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler for ducks in the very first over, England skipper Harry Brook single-handedly flipped the pressure back onto India by smashing a breathtaking 39 off just 15 balls.
Following Brook's exit, Bethell teamed up with Tom Banton (39) to anchor a critical 67-run stand that kept England's required run rate entirely manageable. The southpaw completely tilted the game in England’s favour during the 17th over, smashing Bishnoi for 29 runs.
“He's (Jacob Bethell) a very confident lad. I think he's still learning the ropes of what it means to be an international cricketer, a T20 cricketer. As you can see, if you do look at this innings with a very huge lens, so to say, and watch him closely, he didn't start off quite as much as he would have liked in terms of power or the shot-making. It was Brook who helped him at the start, and it was Tom Banton who actually got the innings going through the middle.
"And then, at the back end, he played some lovely shots and almost showed the composure that a middle-order batter will require. But what he's got is good power, and he knows what it means to be there at the end, which is a very good attribute to have," Karthik remarked.
With this win, England took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The third T20I will be played at Trent Bridge on Tuesday (July 7).
