T20 World Cup 2021: You Can't Blame The IPL If Anything Goes Wrong With Indian Cricket – Gautam Gambhir

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes that the Indian Premier League (IPL) can’t be blamed for India’s poor performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) faced heavy criticism by fans after Jasprit Bumrah’s Bubble Fatigue comments. Notably, Bumrah, after the loss against New Zealand, has said that one of the main reasons behind India’s poor performance in the world cup has been the bio-bubble fatigue.

Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir feels that whenever something goes wrong in Indian cricket, fans started blaming IPL instead of accepting the fact that other teams are playing better cricket than India. He asserted:

“You can’t blame the IPL. If anything goes wrong with Indian cricket, everyone starts pointing fingers towards the IPL. This is wrong. Sometimes, you have to expect that 2-3 teams are playing better cricket than you. The earlier you accept that, the better it will be for you.

Gambhir also stated that India were not brave enough in the game against New Zealand, and he opined that the Indian Premier League is important to give players the much-needed match practice. He elaborated:

“In the previous game against New Zealand, we weren’t brave enough, we were so nervous before the game. What has that got to do with IPL? It was similar in the 2019 World Cup semi-final as well. At that time, we had come to the World Cup after playing in the Indian Premier League as well!”

“Instead, IPL is important because players need adequate match practice. You can’t go into the World Cup with 2-3 games of practice and warm-ups,” 

Afghanistan Aren’t Pushovers – Gautam Gambhir

India will lock horns with Mohammad Nabi-led Afghanistan at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday, November 3.

Former Indian cricketer believes that India needs to be careful against Afghanistan spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Mohammad Nabi. He also said that Afghanistan have a better bowling attack than the likes of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Gautam Gambhir on Star Sports asserted:

“Afghanistan aren’t pushovers. They have a better bowling attack than the likes of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh,”  

After the two consecutive losses in the T20 World Cup 2021, India are virtually out of the semi-finals race. However, there is still a chance for India if they win the remaining three games against Afghanistan, Scotland, and Namibia and then hope any of these three sides would go on to defeat Kane Williamson’s New Zealand to bring the net run rate into play.

Gambhir talking about this situation, said that Indian batters can use this as a source of ” extra motivation”. He also said that India needs to focus on winning the game first. He stated:

“In such a situation when runs are dried up, batters tend to play for their position, which can be extra motivation. Do that and get runs on the board. You try to win first, rather than thinking about the NRR. Once you are in the game, you play according to the situation,”

Also Read: IND vs AFG Head to Head Records, India’s Head to Head Record Against Afghanistan – ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Match 33