Gavaskar sought accountability, scrutiny and analysis of the performances of the team.
It was a disappointing show by Team India In the final of the World Test Championship. The much-touted batting line-up crashed in the first session on Day 5 and was bowled out for 234 runs. On the fifth and final day of the Test, India began at 164/3 but lost all seven wickets in the opening session. The collapse started with Virat Kohli attempting a shot at a wide delivery from Scott Boland, resulting in a catch by Steve Smith at slips. The remaining six wickets fell quickly, adding only 55 runs to the total.
Following the defeat, India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid, faced criticism from former cricketers and his ex-teammates, Sourav Ganguly and Harbhajan Singh. The trio discussed various factors contributing to the loss. Ganguly highlighted the struggles of India’s batters in recent years, emphasizing their low batting averages were a concern.
Ganguly pointed out that very few batters have managed to maintain an average above 30 in the past couple of years, suggesting the need for a revamped batting order.
Dravid, however, explained that the competitive nature of the World Test Championship and the nature of the pitches have affected the batting averages of players worldwide, not just those from India.
During a chat on Star Sports, Dravid acknowledged that the top five players in the Indian team possess significant experience and have achieved legendary status. He mentioned their victories in Australia and England. However, he also admitted that they had failed to meet the high standards they had set for themselves in the recent match against Australia.
After the interview, the broadcast shifted to the other side of the pitch where Sunil Gavaskar was preparing for a separate segment. When the anchor mentioned Rahul Dravid’s explanation regarding the declining averages and asked for Gavaskar’s opinion, the former India captain became furious and insisted that Dravid concentrate on his team.
Gavaskar said that other players’ averages didn’t matter, the focus should be on the Indian team. He expressed concern about the falling averages of Indian players, particularly in batting. He questioned why this was happening and emphasized the need to address the issue. Gavaskar mentioned that while players may perform well in India, some struggle outside the country.
He raised questions about the level of coaching and the lack of analysis regarding areas where the team is lacking.
“Is the level of coaching not what you require? Is there not much of an analysis about areas where you lack? Honest self-assessment is an absolute necessity after this. One team is going to win, one is going to lose. It’s how you lose, that’s the thing. That hurts,” Gavaskar said.
He also asked the current lot to be self-reflective and observe why they keep failing. “We have also been knocked out. And we have been miserable. You cannot say that the current lot is beyond criticism. You have to be analytical about what happened out there. Was our approach right? Was our selection right? You can’t brush this under the carpet,” Gavaskar added.
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