Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif launched a scathing attack on the team management, questioning the handling of young starlet Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and senior wicketkeeper-batsman after India’s forgettable 0-4 T20I series loss to England Sanzhou Samson.England completely outplayed India in the T20I leg of the white-ball tour, thrashing India 4-0 after being eliminated in the first game. The defeat marks the first time India has lost four consecutive matches in a bilateral T20I series. Following their comprehensive victory, England also replaced India as the top T20I team in the latest ICC rankings.Kaif criticized the Indian team management for the series, saying their decisions had dented the confidence of key players.“Never seen a more chaotic Indian cricket team management. The handling of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson was far from professional. One is a generational talent, the other a World Cup winner and they need to be given confidence and not doubt in their minds,” Kaif wrote on X.After the first T20I, Sanju Samson was replaced by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the second T20I. However, in the fifth T20I, Samson returned to the starting XI, replacing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
England dominate T20I series
The five-match series began with a no-conclusion opener at Chester-le-Street, which was called off due to persistent rain.England then took control in the second T20I in Manchester, chasing India at 190/7 with four wickets. The match was highlighted by 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who became India’s youngest-ever T20I debutant, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record.The third T20I in Nottingham was disastrous for India as they were bowled out for just 76 runs, their second-lowest total in T20I history, as England registered an emphatic victory by 125 runs.The home team continued their dominance at Bristol, chasing India at 158/7 in just 13.5 overs to register a lopsided nine-wicket win.England ended the series in strong fashion at Southampton as Jos Buttler’s 131 off 64 balls and Harry Brook’s unbeaten knock pushed them to 257/3 off 95 balls, India’s highest conceding total in T20I cricket. India responded with 201/8, with Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma scoring half-centuries, but the visitors were still 56 runs behind.Both teams will now turn their attention to the three-match ODI series starting on July 14.
