Sunil Gavaskar calls for improvements in India’s chase after 23-run loss to West Indies

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has emphasised the need for the Men in Blue to improve their batting approach while chasing totals, ahead of the fifth T20I against West Indies. Speaking before the decider, Gavaskar stressed that Indian batsmen must demonstrate greater responsibility in their innings.

India suffered a 23-run defeat to West Indies in the fourth T20I, with the bowling attack conceding runs freely. West Indies skipper Shai Hope scored his fourth century on the Indian tour, supported by explosive innings from Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford. Despite optimism about chasing a target of 248, India struggled to keep pace with the required run rate. Sanju Samson scored 56 runs off 22 deliveries, and a promising 70-run partnership between Tilak Varma (43 off 25 balls) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (41 off 20 balls) offered hope after the top order collapsed. However, a five-wicket haul by Keemo Paul limited India’s progress, leaving them short of the target.

Make The News Mill your preferred source

See more TNM stories when you search for news on Google.

Discussing the match on JioStar ‘Cricket Live’, Gavaskar said, “The first thing this Indian side needs to improve is how they chase. On a pitch like this, with the dew coming in, you have to show the kind of dominance with the bat that a back-to-back T20 World Cup-winning team should, but that was missing completely in this game. Sanju gave India a great start, but the rest of the batters did not capitalise 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.”

Gavaskar added, “The batting unit needs to show more responsibility. 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. For India to win the decider, they should bat first, put up 240 to 250 and then keep West Indies to a low total. If the batters do not take responsibility, this Indian side will not succeed.”

Under Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, India has lost five of eight matches while chasing, including previous defeats against Ireland and England. The latest result has levelled the series at 2-2, setting up an exciting decider at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 17.

During the match, Hope remained unbeaten on 102 runs from 50 balls, hitting four boundaries and nine sixes. Support came from Hetmyer, who scored 33 runs off 12 balls with four boundaries and two sixes, and Rutherford, who finished 49 not out from 26 deliveries, striking six fours and three sixes to help West Indies post 247 for three.

India’s batting comprised Samson’s aggressive half-century, but the team largely played catch-up throughout the innings. The 70-run partnership between Varma and Reddy briefly revived India’s chances before both were dismissed. Additionally, Arshdeep Singh retired hurt in the final over after sustaining an arm injury, leaving India 25 runs short of the target.