"Don't take one defeat too seriously" - Aakash Chopra on how India can bounce back from their loss in 1st T20I vs West Indies
Aakash Chopra is not too concerned after India's defeat in the first T20I against the West Indies.
The Men in Blue suffered a four-run loss in the series opener in Tarouba, Trinidad, on Thursday, August 3. The second game of the five-match series will be played in Providence, Guyana, on Sunday, August 6.
While previewing the second T20I on JioCinema, Chopra was asked how India can bounce back after their defeat in the first game, to which he responded:
"Don't take one defeat too seriously because it is a five-match series. It is the nature of T20I cricket that you will win at times and lose on other occasions. It was a very close game. In my opinion, you don't need to do anything different."
The former Indian opener believes the visitors need only marginal improvements, primarily in the batting department. He stated:
"You have to just improve on the one-percenters here or there. A little more responsibility in the batting order and that's about it. So I am not at all troubled that India lost the first match."
The Indian bowlers restricted the Windies to 149/6 in the series opener. However, their batters failed to achieve a seemingly below-par target, managing only 145/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
"Batters' intent will be totally dependent on the total they would be chasing" - Aakash Chopra
![Tilak Varma was the most impressive among the Indian batters. [P/C: @TilakV9/Twitter]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/08/5e673-16912127136614-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra was further asked whether India should change their batting approach, to which he replied:
"Batters' intent will be totally dependent on the total they would be chasing, if they are chasing, as was the case in the first T20I. If you are chasing only 7.5 runs per over and the opposition team has also not been able to score that many runs easily, it is obvious that there was a little more help for the bowlers from the pitch."
Chopra highlighted the factors that could decide the batters' intent, explaining:
"If the pitch is absolutely flat in the second game and you bat first or the opposition team has scored 190, you will have to play according to that. So the intent is directly proportional to how the pitch is and the score you are chasing."
Tilak Varma, who smashed 39 runs off 22 balls, was the only top-six Indian batter to have a strike rate of more than 100. Even Suryakumar Yadav, who is known for his dynamic strokeplay, scored a run-a-ball 21 despite hitting two fours and a six.