By IANS,
London : Former India captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi Monday said it was not fair if some of the Indian players played in Indian Premier League at the cost of national commitment.
India lost the Test series to England 0-4 following an innings and eight runs defeat in the fourth cricket Test at The Oval here Monday. India’s performance was affected by injuries to key players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh. Some missed the series against West Indies, which happened immediately after IPL, and were not available for the full England tour and looked rusty.
Pataudi, who was present here on the fifth and last day, said the team was underprepared for the series.
“England were fantastic but our players were underprepared. A few injuries to the key players also went against us. But if the players have played in the IPL at the cost of national commitment, then it is not fair,” he said.
Pataudi said it is disappointing to see India lose the series but the players need to learn from this tour.
“We won here last time, so it is disappointing to lose. But that is what cricket is all about. The players need to reflect why this happened. Also, I have never seen the kind of pitches at the Lord’s and Trent Bridge in a very, very long time.”