Team India’s loss to West Indies in the recently concluded five-match T20I series in the Caribbean has raised several questions about the performance. Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar feels that the series loss should serve as a wake-up call for the team to focus on areas that need improvement.
India fought back well in the T20I series after losing the first two matches. They defeated West Indies comfortably in the third and the fourth T20I. However, the hosts clinched the trophy with a convincing performance in the decider in Florida. In his monthly column for Sportstar, Sunil Gavaskar shared that the loss should not be a dampener. He wrote,
“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.”
“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,” he added.
At the highest level, temperament always separates the men from the boys: Sunil Gavaskar
Senior India players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli haven’t featured in a T20I match since India’s semi-final exit from the T20 World Cup 2022. Hardik Pandya has led the team in their absence. Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar shared that the absence of senior players made the squad look frail. He added that the recent performance raises questions about the temperament of the young cricketers. Sunil Gavaskar wrote,
“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.”
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