Gavaskar Speaks Out on India’s T20I Troubles

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to avoid making hasty judgements in light of the team’s disappointing performance in the just concluded Twenty20 International series against England and Ireland.

The BCCI is allegedly planning a review meeting to assess India’s performance in the UK and discuss any necessary improvements. But, given that India won the T20 World Cup only four months ago, Sunil Gavaskar believes it would be wrong to impose punitive sanctions.

The Men in Blue had a somewhat inexperienced roster entering the two series. Hardik Pandya missed the tour due to injury, Jasprit Bumrah was rested following a rigorous IPL season, while regulars such as Suryakumar Yadav were absent. India failed to win any of the six Twenty20 Internationals under new captain Shreyas Iyer, sparking criticism of the team’s performance.

Despite reports of big changes following the review meeting, Sunil Gavaskar cautioned the board not to overreact. “The BCCI is going to do a review of the defeat, and there are rumours that a few heads could roll.” That would be a drastic move, given that India was world champions only four months ago and is No. 2 in the ICC rankings,” he wrote in an essay for Sportstar.

Despite several players enjoying great IPL campaigns earlier this year, the batting unit faced criticism for underperforming in English conditions. Swing, seam movement, and extra bounce were difficult for young players like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma, as well as skipper Shreyas Iyer.

However, Sunil Gavaskar believes the problem is more technical than a result of the IPL’s batting-friendly pitches.

“There’s been a lot of discussion about how playing on flat batting surfaces has spoilt Indian hitters. Even on the so-called flat pitches of the IPL, most Indian batters battled with the short ball. That is more of a technical failure. “With the weight on the front foot and the back foot locked, there is simply no weight transfer to deal with a ball climbing towards the face,” he explained.

The batting legend went on to say that the shorter boundaries in the IPL have aggravated the problem, allowing wayward shots to clear the ropes rather than producing catches. He underlined that the issue must be handled immediately if India is to be successful abroad, particularly as the ODI World Cup in South Africa approaches.

“That said, the short boundaries are also to fault, as many of the sixes hit just about clear of the boundary rope and could have been caught elsewhere. This must be addressed immediately if India wants to recapture the ODI crown on the faster, bouncier pitches of South Africa. Every ground in India may have longer limits, but is there a desire for it? That’s the question. “We’ll see soon.”

In contrast, Team India won the opening match in Birmingham to get off to a strong start in the ODI series against England.