"He fell a little short in this series" - Hanuma Vihari's blunt remark on India star after NZ vs IND 2026 T20Is

Discarded India batter Hanuma Vihari made a blunt remark about Team India star and captain Shreyas Iyer after the T20I series against New Zealand. The Men in Blue lost the fifth T20I but won the five-match series 3-2.

Hanuma Vihari first appreciated star batter Ishan Kishan for his fifty in the fifth T20I. Kishan missed the second and third matches due to injury and was dismissed for a duck on his return in the fourth game. However, he made a strong comeback in the fifth game with a 32-ball 61.

He also praised skipper Shreyas Iyer for scoring a half-century. Vihari reckoned Shreyas fell slightly short with the bat in the series but remarked that he did well nonetheless.

"I think Ishan Kishan deserves some credit. He needed that knock. In the last few games, it felt like he was not himself. But he scored a good half-century. Shreyas Iyer also scored an amazing half-century. Good knock from the captain. I think he fell a little short in this series. He was good as captain but also brilliant as a batter," he said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Shreyas scored a 23-ball 50 in the fifth T20I. He smashed three fours and four sixes in his knock, at a strike rate of 217.39. Overall, he scored 126 runs from five matches at an average of 25.20 and a strike rate of 151.80.

Hanuma Vihari on New Zealand's fielding and series result

Hanuma Vihari reckoned that New Zealand's fielding was a huge factor in how the series result panned out eventually. While he acknowledged that the conditions made catching difficult, he pointed out that the Kiwis dropped way too many catches, which probably cost them the series.

"Normally, New Zealand are a fantastic fielding side. They dropped 15 catches. If they hadn't, maybe they would have won the series. Fortunately for them, the dropped catches did not prove costly in the final match. But New Zealand is a tough place to catch as the ball swirls in the air. I have faced it when I played there. But 15 dropped catches are a lot and it showed in the series result for them," Hanuma Vihari said.

While he credited India for winning the series, he also appreciated the hosts for their efforts to make it an interesting series.

"India dominated the first three games. New Zealand did in the next two. Overall, it was a great series for India, but New Zealand deserves a lot of credit."

The Men in Blue won the first three games and sealed the series. However, the Kiwis ensured that Shreyas Iyer and Co. did not walk away with a 5-0 whitewash by winning the last two matches.

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