BCCI to Hold T20I Review After India’s Series Loss to England, Says Saikia

The BCCI will carry out a detailed review of India’s T20I team after the England tour, secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed on Friday, July 10. His comments followed a nine-wicket defeat at the County Ground in Bristol that gave England an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

How the defeat unfolded

India posted 158 for 7, with captain Shreyas Iyer unbeaten on 80 but short of support from the rest of the order. England then chased the target down through an unbroken stand of 146 between Harry Brook, who made 79 from 35 balls, and Phil Salt, who scored 59.

The result gives England their first bilateral T20I series win over India. It also means India have lost five men’s T20Is in a row for the first time, and it is their first back-to-back T20I series defeat since 2018-19.

What Saikia and Iyer said

Speaking from Edinburgh, where he was attending the ICC Annual Conference, Saikia said the side was in a poor patch. The aim, he explained, is to pinpoint the problems and address them after a thorough assessment, which will begin right after the ODI series against England finishes on July 19.

Iyer asked for patience and called this a transition period. He felt 158 was not a competitive total on that pitch, that India’s bowling execution fell short, and that many young players are experiencing overseas conditions for the first time.

What is left to play

India have one more chance to stop the slide in the fifth T20I at Southampton on July 11. There is also a ranking angle: if England complete a whitewash, they would take the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men’s T20I rankings from India.