Iyer says India refused to make excuses amid challenging conditions

Mount Maunganui: India captain Shreyas Iyer on Sunday said the New Zealand series was not one for batters, praising his bowlers for rising to the occasion and delivering under challenging conditions to secure victories in both the T20I and ODI formats.

“If you see the whole series, it wasn’t a series for batters. The way the bowlers bowled, they stood up to the occasion and were confident enough to ensure that they would get the team through, irrespective of the conditions,” Iyer said after India clinched the five-match ODI series 3-1 with a 22-run win in the final match.

India defended a modest total of 209, with pacers Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj leading the charge against the hosts. One match was washed out.

“I think that’s the mindset we need from all the players, and the character each individual possesses is top-notch,” he added.

The visitors had to contend with seaming conditions, small boundaries and frequent weather interruptions, while their top order struggled to provide solid starts. The challenge was further compounded by changes in personnel, with Shubman Gill and pacer Gurnoor Brar among those who left midway to join the Test team ahead of the upcoming series.

Iyer admitted that frequent changes could make things challenging for players but said the team was determined not to use the circumstances as an excuse.

“Yes, absolutely. At some point, it becomes challenging for players when there’s chopping and changing. They need to acclimatise to the conditions and adapt. But we didn’t want to make excuses. We just wanted to live up to our expectations, and every individual was willing to come out here and give his best,” he said.

India suffered another early collapse in the final ODI, losing their top three cheaply, before useful contributions from Axar Patel and Ishan Kishan helped the side post a competitive total.

Iyer said winning both the T20I and ODI series despite the varying conditions had strengthened the team’s belief in its ability to turn games around from difficult situations.

“Both the T20I and ODI series here presented us with different conditions. The weather kept changing. We faced a lot of challenges, and coming out triumphant is a great achievement. Today, we had a certain kind of belief that even though we didn’t score many runs with the bat, we could still change the game at any point,” he said.

“I’m glad that every individual thought in the same direction and we were able to execute that.”

Arshdeep, who was named Player of the Match, said the bowling unit had stuck to its plans and maintained discipline despite having a modest total to defend.

“We kept coming back and were very disciplined with our areas. We didn’t give up on that even when we weren’t getting the results or taking wickets. But we kept bowling to those areas and eventually got the results. Yes, we won,” he said.

The left-arm pacer, who recently got engaged and was traded by Punjab Kings to Mumbai Indians, said he was grateful for the support he had received off the field.

“God has been really grateful and kind to me. I’ve got a really nice partner. She’s very supportive and always helps me stay in the right mindset. So, a lot of credit goes to her as well. The way I perform on the field depends a lot on how I’m doing off the field. So, yes, it’s been very exciting and I’m loving it,” he said.

Arshdeep has also drawn praise for his useful cameos with the bat lower down the order. Dismissing suggestions that he was wary of batting, the pacer said he actually enjoyed his time in the middle.

“I love my batting. Even if I’m batting at number 11, I enjoy it. I’m always trying to create room for myself and smash it. But some people on my team say that I’m scared of the ball. But I take it. I create room,” he said.

Arshdeep said Siraj had reminded him of the importance of adding runs in the final overs.

“(Today) Siraj told me that these runs at the fag end would be very crucial. We made sure we crossed 200, and that was a little thought in mind: we had crossed a small milestone there and had some runs to bowl at,” he added.