New Delhi: MP and renowned cricket enthusiast Shashi Tharoor The Indian side delivered a scathing verdict on India’s recent T20I collapse after England’s 3-0 series win, saying he was “speechless” at yet another humiliating defeat.India lost by 9 wickets in the fourth T20I in Bristol, giving England an unassailable lead in the five-match series, continuing a disappointing performance overseas by the defending T20 world champions.Soon after the match, Tharoor summed up the sentiment of Indian fans in a scathing post on X.“I am truly speechless. Dumbfounded. Dumbfounded. This is such a shame. Literally speechless,” he wrote.His remarks came after India failed to defend their title at a total of 158/7 and England tied India in just 13.5 overs thanks to an unbeaten 146-run partnership between captain Harry Brooke (79 not out) and Phil Salt (59 not out).
Shreyas Iyer: “Happy with my performance, but…”
India skipper Shreyas Iyer admitted that the team was second best in every aspect despite posting an unbeaten 80 off 49 balls after the visitors suffered another batting failure.“It’s another disappointing result. Of course, 158 is not a perfect total on the board,” Iyer said.He felt that India’s bowlers failed to execute their plan after England took advantage of loose bowling.“I thought we were a little lacking in execution. When we changed tempo, when we tried other things, they scored off those loose balls,” he said.Looking back on his game, Iyer said the personal milestone didn’t bring much consolation in defeat.“I’m definitely happy with my performance, but if that’s not the reason for the win, then it’s something to put aside. Whenever I play, I want to perform well and make sure my team wins,” he said.The skipper also urged patience with the young squad and described the current phase as part of India’s rebuilding process.“This is a transitional phase and we will make a lot of mistakes. It is the first time for many young people to play in such conditions. It is important to learn from mistakes quickly,” he added.
Coach admits India ‘underperformed’ overseas
assistant coach Ryan Ten Duchard offered an equally honest assessment, saying India must face the reality that they are struggling under external conditions.“We need to accept the fact that we do not perform well in foreign conditions,” he said.The former Netherlands international stressed that the challenge is not just technical but mental as well, urging players to adapt faster to overseas pitches rather than rely on methods that have been successful in India.“What works in India may not work here. We just haven’t gotten out of that mentality,” he said.India face England in the fifth and final T20I at Southampton on Saturday and will now look to avoid a 4-0 deficit and hope to salvage some pride after a series that has been criticized by fans, pundits and politicians.
