Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said that the Indian team should not make the mistake of forgetting the ODI series defeat against Australia in the excitement of starting the breathtaking Indian Premier League (IPL) starting March 31.
India suffered a 21-run defeat in the third and final ODI in Chennai on Wednesday to lose the series 1-2 to Australia. Legendary batsman Gavaskar said Rohit Sharma’s men could be up against the same opposition in the 50-over World Cup to be hosted by the country in October-November. Gavaskar told ‘Star Sports’, “Definitely, now the IPL is starting (from March 31). It (the series defeat) should not be forgotten. India may occasionally commit the mistake of forgetting it but one should not because in the World Cup we may face Australia again. ,
He said, “It (the defeat in the third ODI) was achieved because of the pressure created by the Australian players. The boundaries had stopped and they (Indian batsmen) were not able to score even a single run. When this happens, you try to play something that you are not used to. This is what they have to see. ,
Chasing a target of 270 runs for the win, the Indian team was reduced to 248 runs in 49.1 overs, thus losing the match as well as the series. For India, the 69-run partnership between Virat Kohli (54 runs) and KL Rahul (32 runs) for the third wicket and the 65-run partnership between openers Rohit Sharma (30 runs) and Shubman Gill (37 runs) was crucial.
Former Indian captain Gavaskar said, “When you are chasing a target of 270 runs or around 300 runs, you need a partnership of around 90 or 100 runs so that you get closer to the target.” But this did not happen. “He said,” Yes, there were two partnerships during the match, one between Rahul and Kohli, but you needed another partnership of similar or bigger runs. ,
Gavaskar said, “Australia’s fielding was also excellent. His bowling was very good. He bowled tight, ‘stump to stump’ but his fielding was also very good.
