The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will review the Indian men’s T20 team’s disappointing performances in England after the conclusion of the ODI series, secretary Devajit Saikia said in a statement on Friday.
India have endured a difficult tour, slipping to a 3-0 deficit in the five-match T20I series against England after also losing the preceding series against Ireland 2-0. The batting unit has struggled to adapt to overseas conditions, raising fresh questions over India’s approach away from home.
However, Saikia insisted the board was not alarmed by the results and viewed the slump as a temporary setback.
“The BCCI is currently observing the performance of the Indian T20 team, which has not been up to the mark in the ongoing series against England. However, this is not something abnormal and can happen in international cricket.
“We consider it as a purely bad phase,” Saikia said.
India will switch focus to the three-match ODI series after Saturday’s fifth and final T20I in Southampton on Saturday. The 50-over series begins on July 14 and concludes on July 19, after which the board plans to review the team’s performances.
“Once the ODI series gets over on July 19 and the team comes back, we will have a review meeting with core members of the team to discuss what went wrong in England. Since there is an ODI series, we are hoping that the team will be back in good form,” Saikia said.
The BCCI secretary also clarified that the proposed meeting would remain confined to cricketing matters and focus solely on identifying areas that require improvement.
“The review meeting will be strictly about the performance of the team and how course correction can be done with regards to shortfalls. Nothing else will be discussed,” he added.
India’s struggles have come despite arriving in England as the reigning T20 World Cup champions. The batting unit has repeatedly failed against pace and bounce on English surfaces, while the bowling attack has struggled to contain England’s aggressive batting line-up.
The poor run has also renewed scrutiny over the decision to replace Suryakumar Yadav as T20 captain despite him leading India to the World Cup title in March. Shreyas Iyer was handed the leadership ahead of the Ireland and England tours as the management began planning for the next T20 World Cup cycle.
Iyer acknowledged that India were going through a transition phase, saying the current setbacks would ultimately help the younger players understand the demands of succeeding in overseas conditions.
“This is the transition phase and we will be making a lot of mistakes. You see a lot of youngsters playing here in these conditions for the first time. So mistakes will definitely make them realise how important it is to adapt and have that awareness when you come in overseas conditions,” Iyer said after India’s nine-wicket defeat in the fourth T20I.
