"If I was a New Zealand supporter, I would have demanded a refund seeing my team all over the place in second half of the T20 World Cup 2021 final" - Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir was not impressed with New Zealand's ordinary outing against Australia in the all-important T20 World Cup 2021 final. Gambhir, in his column for The Times of India, noted that the occasion got the better of the Blackcaps' side.
He even suggested that Kane Williamson and co. did not look like the same team that had come up with dominant performances earlier in the tournament.
The cricketer-turned-politician opined that while the Kiwis batters did a fine job of posting a stiff total of 172, they failed to back it up with a tidy bowling performance. It ultimately cost them their maiden World T20 title.
New Zealand were all over the place in the second half of the summit clash, as per Gambhir. He remarked that he would have demanded a refund looking at their efforts in the second half of the game as a New Zealand supporter. He wrote:
"New Zealand is one team that prides itself on meticulous planning, clear role definitions, precise execution and all this without any fanfare. If I was a New Zealand supporter, I would have demanded a refund seeing my team all over the place in second half. It wasn’t a performance worthy of a final.”
Gambhir believes that a target of 172 can be easily defended, especially when you have a formidable bowling attack like the Kiwis. However, he questioned the bowling unit for resorting to short-pitched bowling to Mitchell Marsh. The Aussie batter, who has played all his cricket on the bouncy WACA track in Perth, had easy pickings for those deliveries.
Marsh looked at the ease against the New Zealand bowlers and took them to the cleaners to shift the momentum of the game. His unbeaten knock of 77 from just 50 deliveries guided Australia to a momentous victory at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, November 14.
185 runs at 61.66 for the tournament 🏏
Player of the Match in the final 🏅
Talk about a #T20WorldCup to remember for Mitchell Marsh 💪 https://t.co/TbWLHWds5O
"Have a mandatory ball-change after 10 overs in both the innings" - Gautam Gambhir
The southpaw proposed a couple of changes that could be introduced to counter the dew factor in conditions like the UAE. He feels that scheduling fixtures early could prove to be a viable solution.
Furthermore, he also suggested that the ball should be changed after 10 overs in each innings. The decorated cricketer opined that these changes could make it an even contest while playing in conditions where dew plays a major role. He wrote:
“I think dew was a big concern. My two cents: go for an early start. There is no harm starting an hour early to what they were doing now. Players, broadcasters, fans – I don’t think anyone would complain. My second suggestion would be to have a mandatory ball-change after 10 overs in both the innings. These two changes may help in restoring balance in the contest.”
Men's T20 World Champions for the very first time! 🏆
#T20WorldCup https://t.co/sRlIlGLLeZ
The Australian men's team scripted history as they clinched their first-ever World T20 championship. Explosive opener David Warner was adjudged as the Player of the Tournament for amassing 289 runs from 7 innings at the multi-nation event.