Shreyas Iyer (BCCI Photo)

NEW DELHI: India captain Shreyas Iyer refused to blame Ravi Bishnoi despite the leg-spinner’s costly 17th over proving decisive in England’s four-wicket win in the second T20I at Old Trafford on Saturday.Chasing 191, England rode on an unbeaten 76 from Jacob Bethell to reach the target with an over to spare. The turning point came in the 17th over when Bishnoi leaked 29 runs, allowing England to seize complete control of the chase.

The over that changed the game

India looked firmly in command after reducing England to 142/5 in 16 overs. But the match swung dramatically in the 17th over.Bishnoi began with a no-ball, which Bethell dispatched for a six off the free hit. The spinner then bowled another no-ball, and Bethell continued the assault with another six, a four, another six, along with singles and doubles, taking 29 runs from the over.Although the over proved costly, Iyer stood by his young spinner after the match.“I think we all know where it went away but I don’t want to pinpoint a particular player. I was like, okay he’s going to come back strong after that (the first no ball). But the 17th over haunted us. But he’ll learn,” Iyer said.

‘It was a phenomenal score’

The India skipper believed his side had posted a winning total on a challenging surface that offered uneven bounce.“I think it was a phenomenal score on this pitch with variable bounce. First 15 overs we were on top of the game but suddenly – credit to the way Jacob played,” he added.Iyer credited Jacob Bethell for changing the course of the chase with his aggressive batting. He also felt England had assessed the conditions well before launching their attack.“They analysed the dimensions of the ground and the wicket early,” he said.The India captain had special praise for the young England batter’s fearless mindset.“He’s got that unflinching attitude where he’s fearless. The way he bats in the nets… something to learn out of him. I wasn’t anticipating him to be nervous.”Despite the disappointing defeat, Iyer said the team would quickly move on and focus on the third T20I.“Absolutely, I’m always in high spirits and I know that this is the lowest you can go,” he concluded.The third T20I of the five-match series will be played at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on July 7.