Mohammed Azharuddin, former Indian cricket team captain, was critical of India’s head coach Ravi Shastri and skipper Virat Kohli for not attending the post-match press conference following India’s heavy defeat against New Zealand.

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The result of the group stage fixture more or less ended India’s hopes of qualifying for the next stage of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah was sent to attend the post-match press conference, a decision which was disliked by Mohammed Azharuddin.

During a discussion on ABP News, the man fondly known as ‘Azhar’ or ‘Azzu’ said, “In my view, the coach should have come for the press conference. If Virat Kohli doesn’t want to attend the press conference, that’s fine. But, Ravi (Shastri) bhai should’ve attended the press conference,”

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The former cricketer added, “You can’t just attend press conferences after victories, you must give an explanation for defeats too. Sending Bumrah for the press conference was not right. Either the captain or the coach should have come for the presser or someone from the coaching staff,”

Talking about the need for taking responsibility after the game, Azharuddin said that losing a game or two is nothing to be ashamed of, but one must be answerable.

“If you lose a game or two, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. But the captain or the coach must come and explain to the nation why the team lost. How can you expect Bumrah to answer these questions? If you are ready to face the media when the team wins then you should also step forward when your team is going through a rough phase,” 

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The 58-year-old played 99 Tests and 334 ODIs.

India put in a dismal performance against Kane Williamson’s side with the batsmen disappointing yet again.  Jasprit Bumrah was the standout performer for the side.

Trent Boult and Ish Maini got the better off the Men in Blue and limited the side’s total to 110 runs in 20 overs. The Kiwis chased the low total with ease in just 14.3 overs thanks to Daryl Mitchell’s score of 49.