Last Update on: August 15th, 2023 at 10:35 pm
Legendary India National Cricket Team batsman Sunil Gavaskar has delivered his verdict on India’s recent T20I series loss against West Indies National Cricket Team. He said that the defeat should serve as a wake-up call for the Men In Blue.
Under Hardik Pandya, India faced an embarrassing T20I series defeat against West Indies, which was also India’s first series defeat against the Men In Maroon in 17 years. The Hardik Pandya-led side lost the first two games before bouncing back strong in the next two matches to level the series 2-2.
However, on Sunday, India lost by 8 wickets against Rovman Powell-led side in the series-deciding fifth T20I match at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill to face a series defeat.
In his column for Sportstar, Gavaskar stated that there is no shame in losing against West Indies as they are two-time T20 World Cup winners.
“The loss to West Indies should not be a dampener. Don’t forget that they have won the ICC T20 World Cup twice, and their players are matchwinners for the different franchises they play for in the IPL. So, they are a top-class T20 team, and there’s no shame in losing to them,” Sunil Gavaskar asserted.
“It should be a wake-up call, though, to see the areas where India needs to improve to strengthen its side. Some of those who were rested for this series may not be around for too long, so their replacements need to be found pretty quickly too, as the next ICC T20 World Cup is just a year away,” Sunil Gavaskar added.
Remember that some key regular members of the team had been rested – Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar further said that India’s T20I team in the Caribbean was without some of the key players and it wasn’t a full-strength side. He added that some players performed well but the others showed a lack of temperament.
“That said, it would do well to remember that some key regular members of the team had been rested for this series, so it wasn’t the full-strength Indian T20 team. While some performances were good, others were disappointing, raising question marks about the temperament factor. At the highest level, it’s always the temperament that separates the men from the boys, and there can be nothing more testing than an international game,” Sunil Gavaskar said.
Meanwhile, Team India’s next international assignment is an away series against Ireland National Cricket Team. The Men In Blue are set to tour Ireland for a short three-match T20I series. The matches are scheduled to be held at the Malahide in Dublin on August 18, 20 and 23.
