“T20 series defeat is a wake up call” Sunil Gavaskar says there’s no SHAME losing to world-class team like West Indies

Gavaskar believes that losing to a world class side like West Indies isn't a shame


“T20 series defeat is a wake up call”  Sunil Gavaskar says there’s  no SHAME losing to world-class team like West Indies

India recently lost the T20I series in their tour of the West Indies and USA. This was the first T20I series India have lost in over 25 months. Although the series had plenty of positives such as debutantes Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal impressing, there were still plenty of let downs. India lost the series 3-2 under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya.

Sunil Gavaskar just wrote a column on this series for the magazine Sportstar. In the column he wrote “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.”

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Sunil Gavaskar also wrote about the difference in experience between the teams. He said that the West Indies team are two time T20 World Cup winners for a reason, and how many of their players are match winners for various franchises across the world. He called them a World Class T20 team, and says there is no shame in losing to them.

Kids will look good great against kids, writes Gavsakar

India vs WI
India celebrates a wicket (image via India TV News)

Gavaskar further wrote  on how a player could do well at the franchise level, but when it comes to playing for the country, it’s a different ball game of pressures and expectations. He calls it a step up, which can be too steep for even some of the best performers at the franchise level. “How often have we seen this when the Under-19 performers just aren’t able to take that one step up from a boys’ tournament to a men’s competition?”

He writes how when kids face men, they find the cake that is U-19 cricket now mud in the senior level. “That’s why so many who looked good at the boys’ level have been found wanting at the senior level. It’s not just the temperament; even the skill set is way below the standard required at the franchise level.” 

After the series loss, India will shift themselves to the ODI format. The 2023 Asia Cup will be held in August and the 2023 ODI World Cup in September. 

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