Team India suffered another humiliating defeat in the ongoing five-T20I series against England, going down by nine wickets in the penultimate fixture in Bristol on Thursday (July 9).

As a result, the hosts sealed the series with an unassailable 3-0 lead. This became the second series that India lost under new captain Shreyas Iyer as he continues to search for his first win in the role.

Opting to bat first, India posted a modest score of 158/7 on the board, with Iyer’s unbeaten 80 off 49 balls rescuing the innings after top-three once perished cheaply.

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.

Speaking during the post-match presentation, Shreyas Iyer reflected on the heavy loss and said: “Again, it was a disappointing one. Definitely, 158 wasn't the perfect total on the board. And eventually we saw how quickly they chased down.”

He acknowledged that Indian bowlers fell short in execution while defending the total. “When we came on to bowling, I just asked our bowlers to repeat the lengths as much as possible because top of middle-stump and leg-stump, it was very difficult to hit and score boundaries off that. So I think we fell a bit short in terms of our execution. And, yeah, we saw that when we were changing the pace, when we were trying something else, they scored off those loose balls.”

While Shreyas was pleased with his own performance, he said personal milestones meant little without a victory.

“Definitely happy with my performance, but see, if it's not on the winning cause, it just goes to the side. So disappointed on that aspect because whenever I play, I want to perform and see to it that my team wins. But unfortunately, today wasn't that day. Definitely look forward in the next game,” he stated.

The captain insisted that the current Indian side was in a "transition phase" and mistakes were to be expected as several youngsters continue to adapt to overseas conditions.

“See, this is the transition phase and we will be making lot of mistakes. You see a lot of youngsters playing here in these conditions for the first time. So mistakes will definitely make them realize how important it is to adapt and have that awareness when you come in the overseas conditions,” Iyer remarked.

“Certainly. It's important that you learn quickly from your mistakes so that the team also benefits eventually out of it. And I'm sure that there are quick learners in the team. I'm sure they will assess themselves and get back stronger in the next game,” he concluded.

India will be keen to register a consolation win in the fifth and final T20I at Southampton on Saturday (July 11).