Sunil Gavaskar criticises India batters after 24-run defeat to West Indies in 4th T20I in HyderabadIndia fail to chase 248 despite Samson’s fifty.
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Team India openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma (Photo: IANS)
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has urged the Indian batting unit to show greater responsibility while chasing big targets after the team’s 24-run defeat to West Indies in the fourth T20I in HyderabadHe believes India failed to make the most of a strong start and must improve their approach in run chases.
India were chasing a challenging target of 248 after West Indies posted 247/3Despite a quickfire half-century from Sanju Samson, the hosts were bowled out for 223, allowing the visitors to level the five-match series 2-2.
Gavaskar questions India’s batting approach
Gavaskar felt India should have shown greater control with the bat, especially after getting off to a flying startHe also pointed out that the team did not display the dominance expected from a side that has won back-to-back T20 World Cup titles.
“The first thing this Indian side needs to improve is how they chaseThe batting unit needs to show more responsibilityIf the batters don’t take responsibility, this Indian side will not succeed,” Gavaskar said in a post-match show on JioStar.
He added that the conditions were suitable for batting, with dew expected to help the team chasing the target.
“On a pitch like this, with the dew coming in, you have to show the kind of dominance with the bat that a back-to-back T20 World Cup winning team should, but that was missing completely in this game.”
Samson’s fast start goes to waste
Samson gave India an aggressive start, scoring 56 off just 23 ballsAlongside Abhishek Sharma, he helped India reach 60 without losing a wicket in the first four oversHowever, the momentum faded as West Indies began taking regular wickets.
Gavaskar felt the other batters should have built on Samson’s effortHe also expressed disappointment with the dismissals of Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, while questioning Shreyas Iyer’s recent form.
“Sanju gave India a great start, but the rest of the batters didn’t capitalise at allAbhishek Sharma played a poor knock, which is not acceptable by his standardsIshan Kishan fell right into Keemo Paul’s trap, and Shreyas Iyer has not got going since his hundred,” he said.
Keemo Paul was the standout bowler for West Indies, claiming five wickets to restrict India to 223.
Gavaskar backs inexperienced Indian bowlers
While criticising the batting performance, Gavaskar was more understanding of India’s bowling unit, which struggled to contain the visitorsShai Hope scored an unbeaten 102 off 50 balls, while Sherfane Rutherford remained unbeaten on 49 and Shimron Hetmyer made 33 off 12 balls.
“Yes, I know the bowling has been poor, but these bowlers are not experiencedThey are new to international cricket, and they will need to get hit for boundaries, otherwise they will not learn,” he said.
Pujara praises Shai Hope’s batting
Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara also praised Hope for his controlled approach and ability to find gaps without relying on risky shots.
“Hope has been a problem for India in this white-ball series and what stands out is that he does not rely on blind sloggingHe backs his natural game and picks his gapsThat is why he scores so quickly without taking too many risks.”
The series is now level at 2-2, with India and West Indies set to meet in Bengaluru for the fifth and final T20I.
