Shashi Tharoor Criticises Team India After T20I Series Loss to England
Shashi Tharoor criticises team after T20I series loss.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor strongly criticised the Indian cricket team after its nine-wicket defeat to England in the fourth T20I in Bristol on Thursday, a result that handed the hosts the five-match series with one game remaining. The loss extended a difficult run for the Shreyas Iyer-led side, which is yet to register a victory since the batter returned to the T20I setup and took over the captaincy.
Reacting to the defeat, Tharoor said he was left speechless by India’s performance and tagged the Board of Control for Cricket in India, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir in a post on X. “I’m truly speechless. Dumbfounded. Gobsmacked. This is one humiliation too many. There is literally nothing to be said,” the senior Congress leader and noted cricket enthusiast wrote.
India’s struggles began after the Indian Premier League 2026, when T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav was dropped from the side and Iyer was handed the leadership responsibilities. Returning to T20I cricket after more than two and a half years, Iyer has produced useful performances with the bat, but India have failed to win any of their six matches since his comeback, losing five while one ended in a no-result.
The latest series defeat followed a 2-0 whitewash against Ireland, which was Iyer’s first assignment as India’s T20I captain. Against England, the opening match was washed out because of rain before the hosts registered three consecutive victories to seal the series. The fourth T20I proved particularly one-sided as England comfortably chased India’s total of 158 for seven in just 13.5 overs.
Harry Brook and Phil Salt struck dominant half-centuries as England made light work of the target and completed a nine-wicket victory. Earlier, Iyer was India’s standout performer with an unbeaten 80 from 49 balls, but he received little support from the rest of the batting order. Young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi struggled again, scoring 15 from 10 balls before being dismissed by Jofra Archer.
Archer finished with figures of two wickets for 20 runs, while Josh Tongue claimed two for 36 as England restricted India to a below-par total. With the series already decided and one match still remaining, India will look to avoid another defeat and end a winless run that has increased scrutiny on the team’s performances, selection decisions and leadership under the current management.
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