India captain Shreyas Iyer pointed to a significant change in pitch conditions between innings after his side suffered a humiliating 244-run defeat against New Zealand in the fourth ODI on Friday. Iyer felt the surface initially favoured the batters but offered considerable assistance to the seamers when India began their run chase.
Batting first, New Zealand posted an imposing 333 runs on the board. However, India failed to produce a competitive response and were bundled out for just 89 in 26.4 overs. Matt Henry was the chief architect of the collapse, finishing with remarkable figures of 6/27. The New Zealand pacer also created history by dismissing India’s top three batters for ducks in a sensational opening over.
Iyer, who was leading India in his first ODI as captain in the absence of Shubman Gill, admitted that the result was disappointing. However, he was quick to acknowledge Henry’s exceptional bowling performance and his ability to exploit the conditions. “There was a huge difference between the wicket between innings. But also credit where it’s due, the way Henry bowled in the right areas right from ball one. I think that was sensational,” Shreyas Iyer said during the post-match presentation.
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The stand-in captain revealed that India’s dressing room had initially expected the chase to be relatively comfortable after watching New Zealand cross the 330-run mark. However, the movement generated by the visiting bowlers made it extremely difficult for the Indian batters to settle.
“When we got into the dressing room, we thought that we would be cruising through the chase as well. But the way the ball was seaming in and out, you couldn’t basically decide from inside that this is how I’m going to play,” he added.
Iyer also defended his team’s batting approach, suggesting that the wickets had fallen to quality deliveries rather than careless shot selection. He urged the players to take confidence from their victories in the opening two ODIs and prepare for the final match with a positive mindset.
Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner believed his team could have scored more after initially targeting 360. However, he was pleased with the bowlers’ response.
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Henry, returning after recovering from a concussion, said he kept his approach simple by targeting the stumps with the new ball. He remained cautious despite his match-winning performance, insisting India were still a formidable opponent. “It’s one game and we’ve got another one coming up soon that hopefully we can level the series,” Henry said.
