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Former Indian selector Saba Karim has urged the BCCI to carefully review the role of the team management and find out what went wrong. His demand came after India suffered back-to-back T20I series defeats in Ireland and England and failed to win a single completed T20I on the tour.
India's recent UK tour was a complete disaster. The team first lost the two-match T20I series against Ireland 2-0. They then travelled to England and suffered another heavy defeat, losing the five-match T20I series 4-0. India failed to win a single game under the new captain Shreyas Iyer.
Recently, Kris Srikkanth questioned Shreyas Iyer over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi snub remarks.
Saba Karim calls for major BCCI Review after India's T20I collapse
As the Men in Blue gear up to take on England in the three-match ODI series, Saba Karim wants the BCCI to review the performance of the coaching staff, not just players. The former selector believes that everyone involved with the team should be held responsible for the disappointing results.
The former Indian wicketkeeper-batter has insisted that the review should not be limited to just one person because the captain, vice-captain, head coach and support staff are the decision-makers and are responsible for planning, team selection, match strategy and everything.
Saba Karim was quoted as saying by PTI: “After such a disastrous series — a whitewash with huge margins of defeat — no one can abdicate responsibility, not only the support staff, including Head Coach Gautam Gambhir, but also the captain (Shreyas Iyer) and the vice-captain (Tilak Varma). I think these people are the think tank of the Indian side, more so when you're travelling outside India. The BCCI must examine their role and responsibility for the debacle.”
Saba Karim backs Shreyas Iyer despite India's T20I disaster
Even though he questioned the team's leadership, the former BCCI official has backed Shreyas Iyer as captain. He said that once the selectors have trusted Iyer with such a big responsibility, they should continue backing him instead of changing the captain after these two bad series.
Karim further added, “I hope that once you have invested in a captain like Shreyas Iyer, you continue to give him more support and back him. But I also feel that the time is right now for Iyer to assert himself in terms of planning, in terms of resources, in terms of the kind of vision he has. It is up to him now to lead the team forward and to have the right resources under him.”
Saba Karim sends strong message before BCCI Review
The former Indian selector also spoke about the BCCI's upcoming review meeting. He said the board has called everyone involved with the team to discuss the reasons behind India's poor performances.
He feels such meetings are important because they help identify mistakes and decide what changes are needed before the next assignment. The former selector also said the players should always feel confident and secure inside the dressing room.
He believes that the team management must create a positive environment where players can play fearless cricket without unnecessary pressure, especially in the T20 format. Amid this, Shubman Gill confirms Virat Kohli's role in finalizing India's 2027 World Cup squad.
Saba Karim demands honest self-review
Karim feels the defeats against Ireland and England should become a learning experience for everyone. He said the players, selectors, coaches and support staff all need to honestly analyse what went wrong and understand why India struggled so badly on the tour.
He also stressed that one of the biggest responsibilities of the head coach is to motivate players and help them perform at their best. If that has not happened, then the BCCI must find the reasons during the review.
The commentator also urged the team to accept mistakes, fix the weak areas and perform honest self-analysis to bounce back strongly after a disappointing UK tour.
Karim signed off by saying, “That is what is expected. But if it has not happened, that's the reason why. I mean, that is why the BCCI needs to find the reason for what went wrong.”
