'Don't be fooled by the IPL' - Hamuna Vihari lambasts India after 4-0 defeat to England in T20I series

Former batter Hanuma Vihari has criticised Team India following their 4-0 series defeat to England earlier this month. The loss meant that the Three Lions leapfrogged the visitors to now rank first in the ICC T20I Rankings. 

Indian batters were visibly unable to grasp the foreign conditions in both Ireland and England, resulting in them losing six out of the seven matches played on the tour. The one match that they did not lose was rained off at Chester-le-Street. 

Vihari stated that the performances on show during the Indian Premier League should be taken with a pinch of salt due to the friendly batting conditions on offer. The former Test player also said that experienced batters like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli would not have made the same errors which led to India's demise against England.

The value of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is clearly visible. Would they have gotten out like this to short balls? Don't be fooled by the IPL. In the IPL, the grounds are smaller, flat wickets, impact player rule, everything is there. When you play an away series, yes, we cannot talk about just one series, but they lost six out of seven games, which is concerning. Definitely, it is an alarm bell," Hanuma Vihari said on his YouTube channel. 

Vihari also questioned the team selection during the T20I series against England. He was not initially convinced by the selection of Shreyas Iyer as captain, particularly after his poor showing in the IPL for Punjab Kings. He was also questioning whether the majority of the selection was made by the captain or coach, Gautam Gambhir.

"If the team management and selectors do not realise now, it will be too late. Shreyas Iyer as T20 captain in last 14 matches has lost 12 games. He returned to the team after two and a half years and was made captain. Was he given the team he asked for? Or was it Gautam Gambhir who gave the team, or did they take the decision together? If a captain is leading the side, I think at least 70-80% the power should be his. If the desired result does not come after that, then you can question it," he added. 

India will now need to put their T20I disappointment behind them and focus on the ODI series against England. The three-match series commences on Tuesday, July 14.