Former India batter Ambati Rayudu on Monday, 29 June defended the Indian batting unit following the side's shock 2-0 T20I series defeat to Ireland, saying it would be 'very, very unfair' to place all the blame on the batters. Rayudu expressed confidence that conditions will improve significantly when India travel to England for a five-match T20I series beginning 1 July in Durham.

Why Rayudu Is Not Reading Too Much Into Ireland Defeat

In both matches at Stormont, Belfast, India's top order — Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan — collapsed against the new ball on surfaces that offered significant swing. Left-arm pacer Jai Moondra proved particularly damaging across both games, exposing India's well-documented vulnerability against left-arm fast bowling on conditions vastly different from the batting-friendly pitches of IPL 2026.

Rayudu argued that the transition from flat IPL tracks to the two-paced, swing-friendly pitches of Ireland — with bigger boundaries — was too abrupt for the batters to handle in such a short window. 'I wouldn't really read much into it because once they go to UK, they'll encounter slightly better conditions to bat, especially also, they'll be used to the conditions by then. So, it is very, very tough on them and we don't really get wickets like that in India as well to prepare before going to a series like this. So, it'll be very, very unfair to put all the blame on the batters,' he said.

The IPL-to-Ireland Adjustment Problem

Rayudu elaborated on the technical demands of the switch, noting that IPL conditions reward a high bat lift and fast bat swing, while Irish pitches require batters to control their downswing, time the ball carefully, and play late. 'In conditions like this, you need to really control your downswing and really need to time the ball and play the ball late and to make that adjustment in such a short while is very, very difficult,' he said. This is not the first time India have struggled on early-tour assignments in the British Isles, where overcast skies and seaming pitches have regularly undone batters fresh off subcontinental surfaces.

Washington Sundar's Role and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Bench Time

On Washington Sundar, Rayudu described the off-spin bowling all-rounder primarily as a bowling asset at this stage of his career. 'In T20s, I think Washington Sundar for me is someone who can bowl really well. He's up there with his bowling. But in terms of his batting, he can do a role batting at number four or five. But I don't see him as a finisher as such,' Rayudu said, adding that Sundar's batting had shown improvement during the IPL and would continue to develop.

Rayudu also backed the team management's decision to keep teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of the playing eleven in Ireland, calling it a valuable learning experience. 'It's a good learning curve for Sooryavanshi to be in the dressing room, know the nitty-gritties of what is required to play in the Indian side, and what his role would be,' he said. He stressed that the incumbents — World Cup winners — deserved their opportunities first.

Rayudu Backs Shreyas Iyer for England Series

Captain Shreyas Iyer, whose debut series as India's T20I skipper ended in a 2-0 defeat, received a vote of confidence from Rayudu, who backed him to excel both as a leader and as a middle-order batter in England. 'The conditions will be far better than what they've encountered in Ireland. He's a guy who always keeps things very, very simple. He doesn't get too high or too low when it comes to wins or losses,' Rayudu said. With the five-match series against England representing a far sterner — and higher-profile — challenge, India's response to the Ireland setback will be closely watched.