Sunil Gavaskar slams the Indian cricket team after disappointing performances in Australia
After the Indian cricket team lost their fourth successive ODI match against Australia, former Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar called for harsh steps in the setup of the Indian cricket team. On January 20, he said that some of the players have not learnt from their previous mistakes despite making the trip Down Under multiple times.
An uncharacteristic batting collapse pushed India 0-4 down in the five-match ODI series at Canberra. In an interview, a disappointed Gavaskar said, “We have to take harsh step after the series is done. I am not calling for a complete overhaul but there are players who have not learnt from their past mistakes. There are players who have made 3-4 trips to Australia but they have not learnt from their mistakes. If we are looking at building a team for the 2019 World Cup, we need to blood some youngsters in.”
Not playing Ashwin for the second game in a row was not a good decision: Gavaskar
Despite the horrific batting collapse, he was more critical of the bowlers. The Indian bowlers gave away more than 295 runs in the continuous four games which is unacceptable according to Gavaskar. He also said dropping star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for the second game in a row made very little sense.
He said, “Not playing Ashwin for the second game in a row was not a good decision. I feel the conditions in Canberra would have suited him. Some of other bowlers seem to be doing the same mistake over and over again,”
Players not learning from their mistakes: Gavaskar
The Indian captain MS Dhoni keeps talking about the learning process after the poor shows. On this issue the former Indian captain commented, “Well, every game is a learning experience but are the players learning from their mistakes? If not, then there is a problem.
“The series result is really disappointing. India have all lost four matches from winning position. Today I think Virat (Kohli) getting out put pressure on the batsman to follow. Ajinkya Rahane not coming out to bat number four also made a difference as he did not look hundred percent when he did come to bat at No 7.”
Dhoni is known as one of the greatest finishers of all time in the limited-overs format. But yesterday he was out for a duck after a spirited show from Virat Kohli. The stylish right-handed batsman scored 106 of just 92 balls. Australia staged a dramatic comeback after Dhoni and Virat got in successive overs. The 66-year-old former cricketer added, “He himself had said he should have got the job done from that position. It is unfortunate that he lasted just two balls.”