India suffered a humiliating 0-2 whitewash at the hands of Ireland in Belfast.
Months after their T20 World Cup 2026 triumph, Team India suffered a humiliating 0-2 whitewash at the hands of Ireland in an away T20I series.
While the Men in Blue lost the series opener by 34 runs, they fell agonisingly short by just a single run in the second T20I. The results ended India’s remarkable 16-series unbeaten streak in T20Is. It also marked a rough start to Shreyas Iyer's tenure as full-time T20I captain.
After India’s dismal show on the tour of Ireland, former cricketer Manoj Tiwary launched a scathing attack on head coach Gautam Gambhir, alleging that PR agencies would scapegoat new captain Shreyas, rather than addressing the "elephant in the room".
"India might go on to win the World Cup in South Africa. But what about the T20I series lost against Ireland? Who is going to be accountable for it? I told you to address the elephant in the room, but no one believed my words. I know that PR agencies and friends of the so-called decision-maker will start pinpointing the blame on Shreyas Iyer," Tiwary said in a video shared on his X account.
"It's not only Shreyas Iyer's fault as a batter, but it is also the fault of the other batters who were not able to perform. The mechanism will corner and pinpoint Shreyas Iyer for this series loss. It is not the players, but the elephant sitting quietly in the dressing room, and most of the time going unaddressed. It is high time that we address this issue," he added.
Tiwary criticized the team management for leaving out the in-form Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from the playing XI. He also questioned the logic behind sticking to a "part-time all-rounder" approach.
"Why won't you play him in the playing XI from the first game itself? Rather, you chose the ones who did well in the World Cup that took place before the IPL. You thought that they would deliver the same performance in the Ireland series as well," he stated.
The former Bengal captain also questioned the logic behind sticking to "part-time" all-rounders. India handed debut caps to Prince Yadav and Suryansh Shedge and dropped Washington Sundar for the second T20I. The series opener saw Sundar bowling just one over and getting dismissed for a low score with the bat.
"Your so-called part-time obsession has not lived up to your expectations, so that is why you just made him play one game. So, you are not consistent in your decision-making. It is very sad to see India lose a series against Ireland," Tiwary remarked.