IND vs AUS: Sunil Gavaskar Reveals Difference Between Current Team And World Cup-Winning Teams Of 1983 & 2011

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar revealed the difference between the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team and the World Cup-winning Indian teams of 1983 and 2011. According to Sunil Gavaskar, the Indian team that won the World Cups in 1983 and 2011 had world-class all-rounders.

India won the ICC World Cup in 1983 under Kapil Dev. India won their second ODI World Cup trophy under MS Dhoni in 2011. Notably, Kapil Dev was an all-rounder and played a key role with both bat and ball in that tournament.

During the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj Singh was an impeccable all-rounder for India who executed stunning performances with both bat and ball. Yuvraj had also won the Player of the Series award for his contribution with both batting and bowling.

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1983 And 2011 Teams Had World-Class All-Rounders: Sunil Gavaskar

While speaking to India Today, former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar shed light on the difference between the current team for ICC World Cup 2023 and the squads of the 1983 and 2011 World Cups. Gavaskar, who was himself a member of the 1983 World Cup, said that there were world-class all-rounders in the 1983 and 2011 teams.

“I think what those teams had was not only world-class batters and world-class bowlers, but also world-class all-rounders. They had batters in the batting lineup who could come and bowl a bit. They had down the order, bowlers who could bat a bit. And that makes a big difference,” the 74-year-old said.

Gavaskar also explained how all-rounders make a huge difference in a match.

“Because at the end of the day, you look at maybe the last 5 or 6 overs, when your no. 8,9,10, 11 are batting, they can add 30-35 runs. What it does is push up your total, whatever your total is. It also makes the fielding side a little bit disappointed because they are hoping to dismiss your 9,10,11 in a jiffy but they don’t do that”.

“So you go in the changing room with the buoyant feeling that we have got these extra 30-35 runs and that can make a difference,” the cricketer-turned-commentator further said.

Also Read: IND vs AUS: Sunil Gavaskar Highlights Importance Of Winning Against Pakistan In ICC World Cup 2023

In the current squad, India has all-rounders like Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin. Notably, most of the full-time batters like Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Suryakumar Yadav cannot lend a hand in bowling.

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Similarly, key bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj are helpless while batting. India will face Australia in their first match of the ICC World Cup 2023 on Sunday, October 8.