Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin has slammed Team India head coach Ravi Shastri and skipper Virat Kohli for not attending the post-match presser following India’s eight-wicket loss against New Zealand in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021 on Sunday.

Notably, Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah attended the post-match press conference, which according to Azharuddin, was completely wrong. Azhar was of the opinion that either Kohli or coach Shastri should have come to take questions from the reporters after facing an embarrassing defeat, rather than sending Bumrah.

Azharuddin observed that the leader of the team or the coach should not just come after the victories; they should also explain the reason for defeats.

“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,” Azharuddin told ABP News.

“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,” he added.

On being asked whether Kohli and Shastri didn’t want to face questions after a poor performance, Azharuddin asserted that there is nothing to ashamed about a defeat, and one must take responsibility. Azhar said if the captain is ready to face media after a win, he should also step forward when the team loses.

“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,” Azharuddin added further.

The loss against New Zealand was Team India’s second consecutive defeat in the ongoing multi-team tournament. The ‘Men in Blue’ earlier lost by 10 wickets against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24.