With India bowing out of the ongoing 20-20 World Cup 2022 on the back of their sepulchral outing against England in the semi-finals on November 10, Thursday, many former cricketers are voicing out their opinions and Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary cricketer, said that the renowned Indian allrounder Hardik Pandya must become the captain of the Indian team in the T20I format going forward.
Unhappy with Rohit Sharma’s submissive attitude in the knockout match on Thursday, Gavaskar said that the Indian team management would come up with numerous changes in the team setup for the shortest format post the conclusion of the New Zealand tour set to begin on November 18 and once the domestic season begins in 2023.
“Let’s not talk about wholesale changes just because we have lost one match. We are very famous for our knee-jerk reactions and having a go at our team. I don’t think that is the right way. Yes, I think that hard calls need to be taken and hopefully the selection committee would take them,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying.
When we struggle in powerplays, we fail to win: Sunil Gavaskar
Fractionating India’s semi-final disaster, Gavaskar said that the Men in Blue’s poor start with the bat and the lack of runs in the powerplay in the match cost them a place in the finals. Highlighting India’s inability to gather runs in the first 6 overs, Gavaskar said that the team have been beaten whenever they failed to score runs before the field restrictions are lifted.
“I think the lack of winning the powerplays. Whenever we are beaten in the powerplays, we struggle to win. Yes, I think that will engage the selection committee’s mind. If any change is going to happen, it will start after New Year once the domestic Indian season begins,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying.
“Yes I think he should be the next India captain as far as the T20I format is concerned,” said the legendary cricketer when asked about Pandya being the front-runner to lead India in the shortest format of the game going forward.
