India and the West Indies will clash in the series decided in Bengaluru on Saturday, October 17.
Following their 24-run loss to the West Indies in the fourth Twenty20 International in Hyderabad on Wednesday, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has called on Indian hitters to assume more responsibility when chasing goals.
Despite contributions from Tilak Varma and Nitish Reddy as well as Sanju Samson's rapid 56 off 23 balls, India was unable to chase the West Indies' enormous total of 247/3. The five-match series was forced into a decider in Bengaluru when Keemo Paul took five wickets and bowled India out for 223.
“The first thing this Indian side needs to improve is how they chase. The batting unit needs to show more responsibility. If the batters don’t take responsibility, this Indian side will not succeed,” Gavaskar told JioStar.
Additionally, he believed that India did not take full advantage of the batting-friendly circumstances, particularly with the hitters benefiting from dew. According to Gavaskar, India should have built on Samson's impressive start, but the other hitters fell short.
“Sanju gave India a great start, but the rest of the batters didn’t capitalize at all. Abhishek Sharma played a poor knock, which is not acceptable by his standards. Ishan Kishan fell right into Keemo Paul’s trap, and Shreyas Iyer has not got going since his hundred,” he said.
However, Gavaskar defended the Indian bowlers, given their inexperience, and said that they needed more time to learn at the international level.
“Yes, I know the bowling has been poor, but these bowlers are not experienced. They are new to international cricket, and they will need to get hit for boundaries; otherwise, they will not learn,” he said.
India and the West Indies will clash in the series decided in Bengaluru on Saturday, October 17.