Though India failed to chase down 248 in Hyderabad against West Indies, Shreyas Iyer was impressed with the approach of his batters. What he did not like was how his bowlers failed to execute their line and length properly.

The defeat at the Uppal Stadium saw India bowled out for 223/9 in 19.3 overs. The innings ended after Arshdeep Singh was retired hurt, and the West Indies levelled the five-match series at 2-2. Reflecting on the loss, Iyer pointed to India's bowling performance as a key factor.

"It all started with bowling. We didn't execute our line and length well and, at the end of the day, when you're chasing 250, you have to go about it in a certain pattern," Iyer said during the post-match presentation.

Despite the defeat, the India skipper was satisfied with the intent shown by his batters during the chase, although he felt the team's shortcomings with the ball had made the task more difficult. "I liked our approach during the chase, but we were unfortunate that we couldn't execute our plans with the ball, and that's where we fell a bit short," he said.

Iyer also acknowledged the visitors' ability to adapt to the conditions and make effective use of the field, noting how the surface offered some assistance, with some deliveries behaving inconsistently. "They executed their plans well, and there was a bit of assistance from the wicket as well. The ball was kicking up, and they used the field pretty well. So, credit where it's due,  their execution was spot on," Iyer said.

Looking ahead to the decisive encounter, Iyer said India would not need to overhaul their approach, emphasising the importance of carrying out their strategies under pressure rather than overthinking their bowling plans. "The approach is going to be the same, and I feel that going forward, we don't have to think too much about our bowling. It's all about execution and having a fresh mindset, where you come out on a given day, execute your plans and seize the moment," he said.

Iyer expects a competitive finish to the series, praising the West Indies for their resilience after India had managed to gain momentum during the contest. "Even though the momentum shifted towards us in between, their ability to bounce back was top-notch, and I'm sure the fifth one will be an interesting contest," he said.

West Indies captain Shai Hope is going through a purple patch. He peeled off yet another century, this time an unbeaten 102. It was his second century in four matches in the series. Hope said that the surface was not as favourable for batting as the visitors had initially anticipated, with the ball offering variable bounce and making stroke-making increasingly challenging as the innings progressed. "I honestly felt it was a decent score because the surface was actually holding up a bit more than we initially thought. We felt the pitch would probably be a bit better for batting," Hope said.