'The way Henry bowled from ball one was sensational': Shreyas Iyer on India's 244-run defeat in 4th ODI

Matt Henry's accuracy with the new ball was the difference between the sides, said India stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer after his team were bowled out for 89 and beaten by 244 runs in the fourth ODI by New Zealand at the Bay Oval on Friday.

Henry did the damage straight away by removing Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the first over, then trapped Shreyas lbw on the last ball of it, before any run had been scored. The pacer went on to finish with career-best figures of 6-27.

“We saw it; there was a huge difference in the first innings and the second innings in terms of wicket, but also credit where it’s due, the way Henry bowled in the right areas right from ball one. I think that was sensational,” said Iyer in the post-match presentation ceremony.

New Zealand’s score of 333 had suggested a good batting surface, and India’s bowlers had struggled to contain batters who were driving the ball on the up. Shreyas said the dressing room had gone into the chase full of confidence, but the seam movement left his batters with no clear way to play.

“I think we tried almost everything in the first innings, the way they were playing on the rise. And we thought that the wicket was better to bat on considering they got 330 after that. Obviously a couple of dropped catches, but that definitely happens in a game.

“But 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. Or even if you saw the wickets, no one threw the wicket away. It was good deliveries.”

As per CricViz, 26/4 is the lowest powerplay score for India since the 2023 ODI World Cup, with the visitors also suffering their second-heaviest defeat in ODIs. The defeat cut India’s series lead to 2-1, with the decider to be played at the same ground on Sunday.

Shreyas signed off by saying the side needed to put the result behind them quickly. "It’s important to forget about this one, obviously, analyze what went wrong in terms of bowling and batting. But at the back of the mind it’s important that we have also won two games. So a lot of inspiration from that one and see to it that we come with a fresh set of mind."