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New Delhi: On March 8, India made history by becoming the first team to successfully defend the T20 World Cup title. Exactly four months and four defeats later, Indian cricket teamunder a new captain Shreyas Iyerhas stumbled into uncharted territory, losing four of his last five matches and is yet to open his account in the new cycle. The conditions must have come as a rude shock to the players who cruised for two months on batting pitches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and during the domestic series that preceded the cash-rich league.The bowlers had a hard time adjusting to the breeze and dimensions. All in all, the world champions were thoroughly outplayed by Ireland and England. The team selection was questionable, the batting order was debatable and the side was completely looking at the sea away from home. For a team that “didn’t want to be a 160-170” team and made 200-plus point totals the new normal, falling to the biggest loss in the format was a reality check. India suffered 125 runs on Tuesday. This is the first time the Men in Blue have gone winless in five consecutive T20Is, and the road ahead offers little hope.
When you go to that reset, it takes a little time. If you see, a 15-year-old starts, Prince Yadav is in his second T20I, Harshit Rana returns from injury.Gautam Gambhir | Head coach
If he is the head coach Gautam Gambhir To be believed, India have hit the “reset” button on the format, as several players who featured in the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad against New Zealand are no longer part of the side. Jasprit Bumrah rested, Hardik Pandya injured, Suryakumar Yadav dropped and Sanju Samson missing from the playing XI.“When you go for that reset, it takes a little time. If you see, a 15-year-old is starting, Prince Yadav is in his second T20I, Harshit Rana is coming back from injury. At the end of the day, we just look at results, and there’s no doubt that results are important in international cricket, but we have to be practical as well. Sometimes you give players time to develop. England is a very good side. If you put players against such teams, you have to give them time to develop. Because after the reset, things take time,” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.
Shreyas Iyer and Gautam Gambhir (X-BCCI)
Overtones of transition are back, this time in a format India have largely dominated since winning the title in 2024. It is increasingly becoming a pattern in the head coach’s interaction with the media, but the use of the transition narrative seems to depend on the outcome of the series. Immediately after being beaten in the Test series against South Africa at home, Gambhir spoke at length about the team undergoing transition in both departments and called for patience with his inexperienced players.“Don’t ever think that something like this has happened in Indian cricket where there is a transition in the bowling department and in the batting department. Usually when your batsman is safe or your batsman has experience, your team goes through a bowling transition. But with this Test team there is clearly a transition happening in both skill sets,” Gambhir told reporters in Guwahati.
Chief coach of India Gautam Gambhir (Photo PTI)
Months before that statement in Guwahati, Gambhir was in the hot seat thousands of miles away in Manchester, and the “T” word resurfaced. The environment was very different from the second Test against South Africa as India, despite an injured Rishabh Pant, managed to pull the game out and keep the series alive. Then the transition had a different meaning.“I don’t believe the team is in transition, because it’s still an Indian team. And this is the best 18 that will represent India. More importantly, it’s not a transition, it’s just a bit of inexperience,” Gambhir said when asked about the transition in the Test side.Transition became a buzzword during Gambhir’s tenure as the team witnessed a significant shift between formats. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and R Ashwin are no longer playing Test cricket. Rohit Sharma has been replaced by Shubman Gill as the ODI captain. Suryakumar Yadav was removed as T20I captain months after leading India to the T20 World Cup title. The team continued relentlessly, accepting bold calls, but the “T” word remained the only constant.Its use, explanation and interpretation was greatly influenced by the match or situation in the series. Although it was replaced by a “reset” in Nottingham on Tuesday, the underlying sentiment remained the same.
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