Sunil Gavaskar emphasized that India needs to learn from South Africa’s performance, urging the team to adjust to conditions without overconfidence during their T20 World Cup match. South Africa ended India’s 12-match unbeaten streak by defeating them by 76 runs.
Gavaskar pointed out that the approach taken by South African players Brevis and Miller should have been adopted by the Indian batsmen. He criticized the Indian side for their careless batting, suggesting they lost wickets due to their overconfidence. The Proteas set a strong total of 187/7, thanks to a solid 97-run partnership between Miller and Brevis after an early loss of wickets.
India struggled in their innings, getting bowled out for 111 runs in just 18.5 overs. Gavaskar noted that Indian players failed to learn from South Africa’s innings, swinging blindly at the ball rather than playing strategically.
He expressed disappointment in the early dismissals of Ishan Kishan (0), Abhishek Sharma (15), and Tilak Varma (1) which left India at 26/3 during the power play.
“Tilak Varma has shown smart batting in the past, but his approach was lacking in this game. Ishan Kishan went out in the first over, and with a required run rate of around 9.5, Tilak should have been more patient,” he explained.
Gavaskar added that even achieving 55-60 runs in the power play would have been beneficial, but reckless batting ultimately led to their defeat in Ahmedabad.
Looking ahead to India’s next match against Zimbabwe, Gavaskar suggested that Axar Patel should replace Washington Sundar in the lineup. He acknowledged that although Arshdeep Singh bowled well against South Africa, Sundar’s underutilization has affected his performance. Gavaskar believes it’s time for Sundar to step aside for Patel’s return.
