Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar was disappointed with the Indian batters not dominating the proceedings in the fourth T20I against the West Indies, suffering a 24-run loss in the 248-run chase in Hyderabad on Wednesday, October 14.
Speaking to JioStar after the match, Gavaskar urged Indian batters to take greater responsibility while chasing big targets. He also stressed that the team must play with the confidence and composure expected of a side that has won back-to-back T20 World Cup titles.
“The first thing this Indian side has to do better is chase well, and the batting unit has to show more responsibility. If that doesn’t happen, then the team won’t succeed,” Gavaskar said.
“On a wicket like this, with the dew coming in, the team has to show dominance with the bat. That is becoming of a side that has won the T20 World Cup twice in a row, which was completely missing from this game,” he added.
India began the chase on a promising note but lost their way during the middle and death overs. Sanju Samson led the charge with a 56-run knock, while the remaining batters failed to make match-winning contributions, leaving the team short of the target.
Speaking to the media after the match in Hyderabad, Samson emphasised that individual performances hold little value if they do not translate into a team victory. The fifth and final T20I will be played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, October 17.
“It feels different to be on a losing side, actually feeling gutted at the moment. I wanted to be on the winning side with my contribution,” Samson said.
“I enjoyed my batting today. When you are chasing such a massive total, there are no second thoughts, and the batters have to back their instincts. You have to back the power game, and that’s what I did, but I would have loved to be on the winning side,” he added.
