Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has expressed surprise at Shreyas Iyer’s blunt assessment of India’s batting after another T20I defeat to England, saying it is unusual for a captain to criticise his own batting unit so publicly.
India’s recent struggles have intensified pressure on Iyer, who is still searching for his first victory since taking over as T20I captain.
Karthik Reacts to Iyer’s ‘Atrocious’ Comment
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Karthik acknowledged that India batted poorly but felt Iyer’s choice of words reflected the frustration within the dressing room.
“Yes, India did not bat well. Probably one of the worst batting performances in a long time. But it was interesting, maybe odd, for the captain to come quite hard at the batting unit. He used the word ‘atrocious’ to describe their batting and also called it ‘awful’,” Karthik said.
Shreyas Iyer Under Pressure
Iyer has endured a difficult start to his captaincy.
India have suffered defeats against Ireland and England under his leadership, while the skipper has also struggled with the bat. In his last five T20I innings, Iyer has managed only one half-century, which came in a match that was eventually washed out. Against England, he was dismissed for just five runs during India’s unsuccessful chase of 202.
Despite the poor run, Iyer’s appointment as captain came after an impressive leadership record in the IPL, where he guided Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings to finals, winning the title with Kolkata.
‘He Must Be Angry’
Karthik, however, backed the India captain to recover from the slump and stressed that Iyer remains a crucial member of the batting line-up.
“You could see how disgruntled and upset he was. He must be angry, understandably so. But knowing Shreyas Iyer, he has to come back because he is such a key member of that batting unit. If he scores, the team looks completely different, just as we saw with Punjab Kings. He is a critical component of this batting order,” Karthik added.
Karthik Questions India’s Recent Form
The former wicketkeeper also expressed concern over India’s recent performances, wondering how the reigning world champions have lost four of their last five matches.
“What’s happening to Team India? We’ve lost four of the last five matches, and we are the world champions. The pitch was a little slow, but we expected 200 to be around par. India looked capable of chasing that target,” he said.
India will now look to regroup quickly as pressure mounts on both the batting unit and captain Shreyas Iyer ahead of the remaining fixtures.
