'Not only Iyer's fault': Ex-cricketer urges India to 'address elephant in the room'

India's disappointing 2-0 T20I series defeat against Ireland has sparked criticism from former batter Manoj Tiwary, who questioned who would take responsibility for the team's poor performance. Despite entering the series as two-time defending T20 champions, India struggled with the conditions and failed to deliver with the bat in both matches.Tiwary suggested that the focus should not be solely on captain Shreyas Iyer, who has come under scrutiny after the defeat. Instead, he argued that the team's management and support staff, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir, should also be held accountable for the result.Speaking in a video posted on his X account, Tiwary raised concerns over what he described as the "elephant in the room" and questioned why the management's role was not being discussed after the series loss."India might go on to win the World Cup in South Africa. But what about the T20I series lost against Ireland? Who is going to be accountable for it? I told you to address the elephant in the room, but no one believed my words. I know that PR agencies and friends of the so-called decision-maker will start pinpointing the blame on Shreyas Iyer," Manoj Tiwary said.The former India batter stressed that the defeat was a collective failure and warned against singling out Iyer for criticism. According to Tiwary, the entire batting unit struggled, and the coaching staff's role should also be examined."It's not only Shreyas Iyer's fault as a batter, but it is also the fault of the other batters who were not able to perform. The mechanism will corner and pinpoint Shreyas Iyer for this series loss. It is not the players, but the elephant sitting quietly in the dressing room, and most of the time going unaddressed. It is high time that we address this issue," Tiwary added.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.