Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar reacted to India’s humiliating loss against Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 on October 24.
Team India opened their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign by suffering a 10-wicket loss against arch-rivals Pakistan. The Babar Azam-led side displayed a sensational all-around performance to hand the Virat Kohli-led side their first 10-wicket loss in T20Is.
Batting first, Indian openers were clueless against Pakistan’s pacer Shaheen Afridi as the left-arm quick showed great skills with the new ball and left ‘Men in Blue’ tumbling at 6/2.
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Suryakumar Yadav tried to counter-attack but just after hitting a six and a four, he managed to nick one off. Indian skipper Virat Kohli along with Rishabh Pant tried his best to bail India out of the trouble but it was only a matter of time as the wicketkeeper was caught and bowled by Shadab Khan for 39 runs.
Though Virat Kohli smashed his 29th T20I fifty, Shaheen Afridi came back into the attack and send the Indian skipper back in the dressing room for 57 runs.
The likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya struggled with their timing and failed to finish the innings on high for their team as India posted a total of 151 runs on the board.
With 152 to defend, everyone expected Indian bowlers to prove their mettle and make things tough for Pakistan but it didn’t go that way as the opening duo of skipper Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan left no stone unturned and smashed bowlers all around the park to take their team home.
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Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar feels that it’s now important for ‘Men in Blue’ to move on from the 10-wicket loss as it was an absolute hammering.
He added that Team India needs to forget what has happened and focus on the next games that are left.
“It's important for India to move on and move on quickly. It has absolutely been a hammering, as far as India is concerned. Hopefully, they will pick themselves up quickly because it's important. You've got to forget what has happened in this game and focus on the next few games that are there," Sunil Gavaskar said on air.
The Indian Team will next lock horns with New Zealand on 31st October, while Pakistan will take on the same opponents on 26th October.
(Hindustan Times inputs)
