The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially sounded the alarm on the senior men’s T20I team’s sudden downturn, with Board Secretary Devajit Saikia confirming that a comprehensive performance audit will be launched immediately following the conclusion of the UK tour.
The announcement follows a dismal run under newly appointed captain Shreyas Iyer, which culminated on Thursday when England handed India a crushing nine-wicket loss in Bristol, locking in an unassailable 3-0 series lead for the hosts. Coupled with a historic, first-ever 2-0 series whitewash defeat against Ireland just weeks ago, the reigning T20 World Cup holders have hit an unexpected low.
‘We Will Sort Out Problems’
Speaking to IANS from Edinburgh during the ongoing ICC Annual Conference, Saikia did not sugarcoat the administration’s disappointment with the squad’s sudden drop in form. He explicitly stated that the current string of results is unacceptable and needs immediate structural intervention.
“The scenario is very clear. The Indian T20I team is undeniably going through a bad phase, starting from our games against Ireland and moving into the ongoing series against England. Right now, there is a distinct slump in terms of the men’s T20I team’s output.” – BCCI Secretary, Devajit Saikia to IANS.
“The thing is very simple. The Indian T20I team is going through a bad phase in their games against England and Ireland before. So, we have to do a review once this series is over. A bad phase comes for every team and right now, a bad phase is going on in terms of the performance of the men’s T20I team.
“So, we will have to look into what are the problems they are facing and we will definitely try to sort it out once the series is over by doing a detailed review. The review will happen immediately after the ODI series ends in England on July 19.”
Backing for Skipper Iyer
Despite the impending institutional review, the team management has come out to shield Iyer from being the sole scapegoat for the collective collapse. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate strongly defended the captain’s leadership and technical output, urging the rest of the squad to look in the mirror.
With the final dead-rubber T20I scheduled for Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, India will be playing purely for pride, desperate to find a solitary win to carry some positive momentum into the upcoming three-match ODI leg.
