NZ v IND 2019: Sunil Gavaskar suggests India to experiment with playing XI rather than focusing on victory

Gavaskar says he won't be very disappointed even if India lost T20I series in New Zealand.

India lost the first T20I by 80 runs in Wellington | Getty Images

While India suffered its worst ever T20 International defeat in Wellington, Sunil Gavaskar said he would not disappoint even if Rohit Sharma and his troops lose the three-match T20I series to New Zealand.

While explaining his comment, because Gavaskar said the T20 World Cup 2020 is far away, and their priority should the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 at the moment, saying he wants to see more experiments in the line up to arrive on a final squad for the prestigious event.

With the 2019 World Cup just a few months away, Gavaskar, former Indian skipper and cricket pundit, called for more experiments with the playing XI to finalize the squad for the showpiece event to be played in England and Wales from May 30, 2019.

On Wednesday (6th February), India suffered a crushing 80-run defeat against the Black Caps, but Gavaskar feels victory should not be much focused, as he wants the national side to try out different combinations here, saying the management can even figure out if the players would be suited for the 50-over format or not even in the T20Is.  

Gavaskar told Sports Tak on Thursday, “India needs a mix of both [experiment for the World Cup and focus on winning series in New Zealand]. The World Cup is just a few months away. To arrive on a final squad, there need to be a few experiments. In this T20I series, you could get an idea of who the team can look at [for the World Cup]. The likes of Vijay Shankar can be observed. Even in T20Is, you can figure out if the players will be suited for the 50-over format or not.”

He signed off by saying, “Yes, you need to win matches in New Zealand. But the T20 World Cup is far away, it's in October 2020. I won't be very disappointed even if India lose this T20I series. If the performances are good, then there's no problem. The team is right now focused on the World Cup. Thus, it's important that chances are given to players like Vijay Shankar, Rishabh Pant and Krunal Pandya. The way they handle pressure here will give the team an idea of whether they are ready for the World Cup or not.”

(With Sports Tak Inputs)

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 07 Feb, 2019

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