How IPL pitches adversely impacted Indian batting in shambolic Ireland T20 series defeat: '24-Karat flat wickets'

India's dominant run in T20 internationals came to a shocking end as they suffered a historic series defeat against Ireland under new captain Shreyas Iyer. The visitors lost the second T20I in Belfast by just one run, resulting in a humiliating 2-0 series loss after also going down in the opening match.

The defeat also ended India's incredible streak of winning 16 consecutive T20I series under previous captains, raising questions over the team's preparation and approach.

After the match, captain Shreyas Iyer admitted that India's batters failed to understand how the pitch was going to behave, which eventually cost them the game. He said Ireland had a better understanding of the conditions and used them more effectively.

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However, the problem may not have only been about reading the pitch on the match day. Many believe India's batting struggles were a result of playing too much cricket on flat pitches in the Indian Premier League, where batters are often rewarded for aggressive stroke play and high-risk shots.

Over the years, IPL pitches have become famous for being batter-friendly surfaces. Scores above 200 have become common, with batters enjoying conditions where the ball comes nicely onto the bat. While this has helped Indian batters improve their power-hitting skills, it has also raised concerns about their ability to handle challenging surfaces where there is movement or help for bowlers.

The Indian team entered the Ireland series immediately after the IPL 2026 season, and the impact of those flat pitches was visible. The Indian batters struggled to adjust to a slower and more unpredictable surface against Ireland, where timing shots was not easy under overcast conditions.

Also Read: India cannot ignore Ireland whitewash as one-off, it must be seen as extension of problems witnessed at T20 World Cup

Ashwin slams IPL pitches

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also pointed towards the same issue, blaming the "24-Karat" flat IPL wickets for Indian batters' struggles. Ashwin said that Indian players have become used to perfect batting conditions in the IPL, and when they face pitches that offer assistance to bowlers, the batting lineup finds it difficult.

"Indian players are accustomed to playing on the 24-Karat flat wickets of the IPL, which was not there. And I really loved the cricket that happened. This Indian team, which comes after playing the IPL, will give international teams more value if they continue playing on wickets that are not true. Whenever there is some assistance from the wicket, this Indian batting lineup, which has come through the IPL, will struggle," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Manjrekar wants Shubman back

Meanwhile, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes the team management should also look at bringing back proper batters who can perform on difficult pitches. He gave the example of Shubman Gill, who lost his place in India's T20 setup before the 2026 T20 World Cup despite being one of the most successful batters in the IPL.

"Shubman Gill, just for people to understand, is a T20 batter now and tremendous in the IPL. Captain as well, but not talking about captaincy. So, these are the players you slowly want to introduce back into T20 cricket because these guys have a little more depth to their batting like we saw in England and other overseas conditions," Manjrekar said on Sony Sports.

According to Manjrekar, players like Gill can provide stability because they have the ability to adapt according to different conditions. However, with players like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal already waiting on the sidelines, it would be difficult for selectors to accommodate Gill in the T20 team.