India's disappointing T20I campaign against Ireland and England has put India under immense criticism. The defending T20 world champions endured a difficult overseas tour, beginning with a 2-0 series defeat against Ireland before being beaten 4-0 by England in a five-match T20I series.
In the wake of India's crushing losses, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has blamed the batting-friendly pitches in the IPL for India's lacklustre show in the T20I series against Ireland and England. Manjrekar believed that the IPL has created an environment that does not always prepare cricketers for the demands of international matches played outside the subcontinent. He underlined that selectors should look for players based on qualities that match well to overseas conditions rather than performances in the IPL.
"The easy thing would be is to hold players responsible for this overseas T20 setback. The right thing would be is to hold those responsible who have made IPL such, that it puts a heavy make up on Indian batters," Manjrekar wrote on X.
"Challenge is for the selectors to imagine Indian batters without the heavy IPL make up on & pick only those for India. A lot of T20 cricket will be overseas now. The home fun run is over."
Along with India's disappointing performance, the series also turned out to be a difficult challenge for newly appointed captain Shreyas Iyer, who failed to lead the side to victory under his leadership.