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Former India captain and Telangana Minister Mohammad Azharuddin has called on the 'Men in Blue' to quickly adapt to English conditions after the visitors slumped to a third successive defeat against England in the ongoing T20I series.
Speaking to ANI after India's latest defeat, Azharuddin said the players must realise that international cricket in England demands a different approach from franchise cricket and the team needed to learn quickly from the setbacks and show character in the final T20I. "England is totally different. It's not like playing in the IPL. The quicker the Indian team realises that, the better. In the IPL, when you play, you try to hit almost every ball out of the park. But here, it doesn't happen because the ball swings, the conditions are different, and there is bounce in the wicket," Azharuddin told ANI. "The England bowlers have really figured out how to bowl to each batsman. We have to work really hard. It's not a very good performance, but I'm sure they will learn. Two losses against Ireland and then three losses on the trot. It doesn't augur well for the Indian team. I hope they learn very quickly and at least show some pride in the next game," he added. His remarks came after India suffered their fifth T20I defeat of the Ireland and England tour despite entering the year as defending ICC Men's T20 World Cup champions, and retained it with a 96-run victory over New Zealand in the final earlier this year. Led by newly appointed captain Shreyas Iyer, India conceded the five-match series after a comprehensive nine-wicket defeat in the fourth T20I at Bristol, handing England an unassailable 3-0 lead after the opening match had ended in a no-result. The tourists had earlier lost the second T20I by four wickets before suffering a humiliating 125-run defeat in the third match, where they were bowled out for just 76 while chasing 202. The England defeat follows India's 2-0 series loss to Ireland earlier this year, the country's first-ever bilateral T20I series defeat against the Irish. Both series losses have come since the BCCI replaced World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav with Iyer as the team's T20I skipper. Although Iyer fought a lone battle with an unbeaten 80 off 49 balls in Bristol to lift India to 158/7, England comfortably chased the target in just 13.5 overs, powered by captain Harry Brook's 79 off 35 deliveries and Phil Salt's 59 off 42. The result also secured England's first-ever bilateral T20I series victory over India in a series comprising two or more matches. India will now look to salvage some pride in the final T20I on Saturday before shifting focus to the ODI series against England. (ANI)
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