Shreyas Iyer praises New Zealand bowlers but omits India's batting collapse after Auckland loss

India captain Shreyas Iyer reflected on his side's 87-run defeat to New Zealand in the fourth T20I in Auckland on Friday but did not address his team's batting collapse. Instead, his post-match remarks centred on the bowling shortcomings and praise for New Zealand's hitters.

New Zealand posted 259 for seven, powered by Glenn Phillips' 107 off 49 balls and Michael Bracewell's 65 off 25. India, chasing 260, were dismissed for 172 for nine after early shocks left the tourists in trouble. Iyer singled out the damage done during the powerplay and lauded Phillips' innings at the presentation.

Phillips and Bracewell were particularly destructive, combining for 16 sixes as New Zealand hit 20 maximums in total. Phillips took 32 runs off Nitish Kumar Reddy in the 16th over, including four consecutive sixes, and his fifth-wicket stand with Bracewell yielded 115 off 41 balls. Those bursts established control for the hosts and set a towering target.

India's chase never recovered after losing Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan in the opening over, slipping to 61 for four in the powerplay. Abhishek Sharma scored 27 while Iyer made 22 before being bowled by Adam Milne, with the visitors ultimately finishing at 172 for nine. The batting failure in the chase was not addressed in Iyer's immediate comments.

At the presentation, Iyer concentrated on his bowlers' inability to contain New Zealand in the early overs and on Phillips' strokeplay, saying: "We fell short in our bowling. The powerplay, especially in the third over, they got the momentum thereon. Exceptional shots from Glenn, some phenomenal shots, pure bliss." He added that Phillips had been consistent throughout the series and that India had lessons to learn from his batting.

Iyer also outlined the team's need to review the defeat and spoke about the challenge of the ground's dimensions, saying: "Important to retrospect, we have to see how to bounce back. I feel we can go back to the drawing board and execute." On the venue he said: "We knew the dimensions were going to be like this. First time for some of them. Not easy to adapt. The way they executed in the first three games was magnificent. Great learning curve," he said.

With the series already secured, India have one more match to address shortcomings when the teams meet in Hamilton for the fifth and final T20I. Iyer said the side needed to review its performance and find a way to respond ahead of that final game.