Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has urged the Indian team to learn from the mistakes it committed in the final of the recent ICC World Cup 2023 and ask tough questions. India lost to Australia in the summit clash by 6 wickets in Ahmedabad.
The post-mortem of the heartbreaking loss of the Indian team in the CWC 2023 final is still going on. India misread the conditions, and once skipper Rohit Sharma fell after an explosive start, the rest of the batters went into a shell. Despite half-centuries from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, India were bowled out for 240, a target that Travis Head gunned down in 43 overs with a century for the ages.
This was India’s eighth defeat in an ICC knockout match in eight years and Sunil Gavaskar feels tough questions need to be asked and big steps taken to change things around. This comes as India prepares for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 which is to be played in the USA and West Indies.
Gavaskar pointed out that India despite being a powerhouse in T20s due to IPL exposure, hasn’t been able to win the T20 World Cup since 2007 and this is a tragedy.
"India will have to accept some of the errors they made in the final if they want to go on and win a trophy. Trying to show solidarity is one thing, but if mistakes are not accepted, then progress will be slower. Over the next few weeks, big decisions will have to be made by individuals and the selection committee. India not winning the T20 World Cup after 2007 is a huge disappointment considering the exposure its players and youngsters get playing in the IPL," Gavaskar wrote in his column for The Mid-Day.
Gavaskar appreciated the performance of Team India and is confident that with time, the players will move on from the disappointing results and come out stronger.
"India not winning the World Cup was disappointing, no doubt, but that is over now, and the game will move on. Over the last four World Cups, the Indian team entered the final twice with one win and got into the semi-finals on the other two occasions. That is a terrific performance when you compare it with the other teams, and only Australia has been better with two trophy wins," pointed out Gavaskar.
India is currently engaged in a 5-T20I series against Australia at home and will then fly to South Africa for an all-format tour.
