'We Still Could Have Been Better': Shreyas Iyer Calls On Team India To Raise Their Fielding Game After Hamilton Loss

India sealed a 3-2 T20I series win over New Zealand despite dropping the last two matches, but captain Shreyas Iyer said the side still fell short with the ball and in the field. Iyer called the tour a strong learning exercise in unfamiliar overseas conditions.

Iyer, who leads India in T20Is, assessed the series after the final match and pointed to lapses in the last two games. India had already wrapped up the five-match series by winning the first three matches before defeats in the closing two fixtures.

“We still could have been better with our bowling and fielding. We were a bit sloppy, but great learning. Coming overseas, coming to New Zealand, getting to play on such different occasions, different grounds, it was a great learning curve," Iyer said while speaking at the post-match presentation.

Learning Curve Abroad

Hamilton tested India.

Iyer stressed that the side needed to sharpen its fielding in conditions that were new to them, with Hamilton among the venues that pushed them outside familiar settings. The New Zealand tour offered lessons that a home series cannot.

“We still could have been better with our bowling and fielding. We were a bit sloppy, but great learning. Coming overseas, coming to New Zealand, getting to play on such different occasions, different grounds, it was a great learning curve," Iyer said while speaking at the post-match presentation.

That view framed the tour beyond the result. India won the series, but Iyer made clear that adapting faster on different grounds overseas remains a work in progress.

Series Rhythm And Risks

India started fast.

The first three wins gave the visitors control of the series and, in Iyer’s view, set the tone for the tour. That early cushion also opened space to test combinations and push the group in the final two matches.

“The first three games absolutely set the rhythm for us. And then, coming into the last two games, I feel we were in this position where we wanted to experiment and also challenge ourselves a bit more," Iyer said.

The call did not work in the last game. “And today was the right opportunity and obviously, we did not live up to it, but great learning, as I mentioned," Iyer added.

Historic SENA Win

The result still matters.

The series win marked India’s first victory in a SENA nation under Iyer’s captaincy. He began his leadership run with back-to-back series defeats in Ireland and England.

That context gives the 3-2 scoreline extra weight. India did not finish cleanly, but the tour still delivered Iyer’s first such series success away from home in those conditions.

ODI Series Ahead

The focus now shifts.

Asked to go deeper into the areas that need work, Iyer chose not to linger on them with the ODI series close. He said the mood in the camp remains upbeat as India move from T20Is to 50-over cricket.

India next play five ODIs against New Zealand starting Wednesday. Iyer, Ishan Kishan and Naman Dhir are among those set to switch into the 50-over fold.

“It is definitely something: when you come overseas, you are challenged by different aspects of the game. And the more you take the bull by the horns, the better it gets," Iyer said.