Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar faulted India’s batting approach for their loss in the Super 8 tie against South Africa on Sunday. Suryakumar Yadav and co. succumbed to a 76-run loss against the Proteas, with the co-hosts faltering in the run-chase. Gavaskar minced no words in criticising the approach of the Indian batters and implored them to take a note from how SA batters, Miller and Brevis, dealt with the situation.
Why did India lose to South Africa?
Speaking on JioHotstar, Gavaskar credited Miller and Brevis for building a partnership that not only resurrcted SA’s innings but also helped them post a commendable total. The duo put up a 97-run stand, with Miller scoring 63 off 35 balls while Brevis scored a quickfire 45 off 29 deliveries. Gavaskar said that India came out looking overconfident and were just throwing their willows at every delivery.
“Having seen how Brevis and Miller built their partnership, that was the approach needed from the Indian batters. But India did not take notes from South Africa’s innings. They came out and threw their bat at every delivery hoping for a boundary. That is not how you play T20 cricket. You have to learn from the opposition. If they have scored well on a tricky surface like this, you have to get rid of your ego, observe and adjust. The Indian batters did not do that. They came out with overconfidence, threw their bat at everything and lost wickets. South Africa clearly outsmarted India and it was a well-deserved win for them,” Sunil Gavaskar said.
Tilak Varma a disappointment
Gavaskar further tore into Tilak Varma and said that he turned out to be a disappointment.
“Tilak Varma has been a very street-smart batter. But I was disappointed with his approach in this game. Ishan Kishan lost his wicket in the first over. The required rate was around 9.5 runs per over, not 15. So, Tilak could have given himself more time. At the other end, Abhishek Sharma had back-to-back ducks. So, the responsibility was on Tilak to stick around, build a partnership, and get past the first six overs, but he failed to do that. You don’t always need to score 70 runs in the Powerplay. Even 55-60 runs would have been a good platform,” Gavaskar said.
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