Iyer blames poor fielding and batting collapses for India's defeat to England

Indian captain Shreyas Iyer praised England's outstanding performance in the fifth T20I match in Southampton, while stressing that losing wickets in 'clusters' was the major reason behind India's defeat.

During the post-match presentation, the skipper analysed his team's modified batting strategy while attempting to chase down a huge target of 258. He pointed out that errors on the field heavily dented India's chances, while giving credit to English batsman Jos Buttler and their captain Harry Brook for turning the tide of the contest.

"There is a lot to take out of the series, conditions, awareness, and adaptation. This was the best wicket we played on, and our approach was different when we batted. Conditions kept changing from match to match. We need to be aware and adapt as professionals. It is important to communicate what we could have done better. Fielding plays a key role, and we need to work on it," he said.

"Especially overseas, with different ground dimensions. We dropped catches which cost us; we might have chased down 220-225, but it was not to be. We lost wickets in clusters. We were going after the chase rather than building partnerships. We have to target bowlers and take our time. Their execution was spot on. Buttler was sensational, and Brook changed the momentum. That partnership steadied the ship," Iyer added.

India loses the top T20 ranking spot after England defeat

England put up a powerful show at the Rose Bowl Stadium as the Three Lions defeated India by 56 runs, sealing the five-match T20I series 4-0. The Shreyas Iyer-led side also lost their Number One T20I team ranking following the one-sided loss.

Bowling first, India never looked in the game as Jos Buttler and Harry Brook put up a massive 233-run stand for the second wicket, with the English wicketkeeper scoring 131 runs off 64 balls to mark his highest-ever score in T20Is. Brook narrowly missed out on a century, scoring 95 runs off 45 balls.

The huge partnership took England to a score of 257/3 in the first innings. Chasing 258, the Indian team's woes continued as opener Abhishek Sharma fell for just 3 runs off 9 balls to Jofra Archer.

Shreyas Iyer then stitched together a partnership with Ishan Kishan, as the duo put up 55 runs off 30 balls for the third wicket. Kishan brought up a fighting half-century, while the Indian captain was dismissed for 27 runs. Ultimately, the target proved to be too steep for the visitors, who ended their innings at 201/8, handing England a 56-run victory.

(With inputs from ANI)