Bedi Calls for Changes After Another Series Defeat

Former Test captain, Bishan Singh Bedi, has hit out at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after yet another away series defeat.

India suffered their fourth successive loss on tour when they were beaten in New Zealand. The fact it took a majestic, record-breaking triple century from Black Caps skipper, Brendon McCullum, in the drawn second Test in Wellington should not gloss over the fact that India have been poor once again away from home and they got what they deserved from the series - nothing.

The fact it followed on from a 4-0 drubbing for MS Dhoni's World Cup champions in the preceding one-dayers only adds to the sense of embarrassment and leaves India to reflect on a month without a single success against a country the cricket betting odds expected them to get the better of.

The overall picture does not make for any better reading for India's fans, players and officials either. They have now lost 10 of their last 12 Tests abroad - the other two were drawn - and it's a record that includes two successive 4-0 whitewashes in England and Australia. Yes, it appears things really are that bad.

And now Bedi - although he is far from alone in his stinging criticism - has blasted the powers that be, saying creating a new alliance with Australia and England to ensure that the game's three most powerful countries have greater control over its governance and therefore generate more money is all well and good but it does not guarantee results.

"Money can buy many a cricketer or votes, but money can't buy a team performance," he said on Twitter.

But he goes further and believes the time has now come for a change in management, with a review of coach, Duncan Fletcher's position required and skipper, Dhoni's role also called into question.

"The top heavy team management is stagnating and needs a fresh look for now and the immediate future," Bedi wrote in another tweet.

Certainly, it appears the NZ defeat could be the tipping point for change in a similar way in which England's recent dismal Ashes failure has led to the removal of coach, Andy Flower, and enigmatic batsman, Kevin Pietersen. In short, something needs to be done – a point made by many cricket betting pundits in recent days.

The Times of India has suggested promising young batsman, Virat Kohli, should now be asked to lead in Test matches and, while that may seem too drastic a change for some, it may be exactly the sort of move the country needs to revitalize their flagging cricket team.

 Alex Jackson for DieHard Cricket Fans