New Delhi: They are two legendary cricketers of India. Both Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev explained Monday the reasons for India’s debacle at the T20 World Cup. India’s chances for a semifinal berth evaporated Sunday after New Zealand beat Afghanistan by eight wickets. Former skipper Sunil Gavaskar said that the Indian batsmen failed to come good against strong team in crucial matches. Kapil Dev on the other indirectly blamed the BCCI for holding the second phase of the IPL close to the start of the T20 World Cup.
Gavaskar urged the side to change their approach in power play overs. “The way Pakistan and New Zealand bowlers restricted our batters, didn’t let them score freely was the main reason why India didn’t progress. Dew was making batting easy (in second innings) because the ball wasn’t turning, spinners’ deliveries were going straight,” Gavaskar told ‘Sports Tak’.
“Batting second was an advantage but if you had 180 odd runs then your bowlers would have got the cushion of those 20-30 runs. When you are making 111 (against New Zealand) then dew doesn’t come into the picture. We didn’t make runs and that is the main reason, nothing else,” Gavaskar added.
The former opener is not in favour of wholesale changes in the team. He urged the side to revisit their approach during the power play overs. The iconic former batter said the team havn’t been scoring enough in that phase against stronger oppositions.
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“I don’t think wholesale changes will make any difference. You need to change your approach, like take advantage of the power play overs which India didn’t do in the last few world tournaments,” Gavaskar pointed out.
“The fact is that in the first six overs, there are only two fielders outside the 30-yard-circle. So you have to take advantage. However, India haven’t done that in the last few ICC tournaments. “…Whenever India are up against a strong team, one that have good bowlers,India cannot score. So that needs to change,” asserted Gavaskar.
Kapil on the other hand, said that he believes cricketers ‘prioritise IPL’ over national assignments. So the onus is on the BCCI to make better schedules to avoid the ‘mistakes’ committed during the ongoing T20 World Cup.
“When players prioritise IPL over playing for India, what can we say? Players should take pride in playing for their nation. I don’t know their financial condition so can’t say much,” the 62-year-old former World Cup-winning captain told ‘ABP News’. He however, did not dwell on the specific reason for his statement as the IPL has not clashed with any India matches.
“…I feel that first in line should be the country’s team and then franchises. I’m not saying do not play cricket there (IPL), but the responsibility is now on the BCCI to plan its cricket better. To not repeat mistakes we committed in this tournament is the biggest learning for us,” Kapil stated.
India pacer Jasprit Bumrah and outgoing bowling coach Bharat Arun had highlighted the issue of mental fatigue for players. They have been on the road for close to six months since the IPL began in April.
Kapil also said there should have been a gap between the second leg of the IPL and the T20 World Cup.
“It’s time to look at the future. You should start planning right away. It’s not that since the World Cup is over, the Indian team’s entire cricket is also over. Go and plan,” asserted Kapil.
“I just feel that there should have been some gap between IPL and the World Cup. But this is certainly there that our players today have a lot of exposure but they could not make the most of it,” Kapil added.