“Loss to West Indies should not be a dampener” – Sunil Gavaskar says it wake-up call ahead of T20 World Cup .

In a recent development, former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has offered his perspective on India’s recent T20I series loss to the West Indies in a five-match contest. According to Gavaskar, this defeat should serve as a wake-up call for the team led by Hardik Pandya, urging them to enhance their performance in specific areas.

Despite a shaky start that saw India lose the initial two matches, the team managed to make a strong comeback, leveling the series at 2-2. However, a pivotal partnership of 107 runs between Nicholas Pooran (scoring 47) and Brandon King (remaining unbeaten at 85) for the West Indies, alongside disciplined bowling displays from their bowlers, played a decisive role in Rovman Powell’s team securing a 3-2 series victory.

Sunil Gavaskar, sharing his insights in his regular column for Sportstar, emphasized that the significance of the series loss to the West Indies, a two-time T20 World champion team, should not be underestimated. This defeat, he believes, should act as a catalyst for introspection and improvement within the Indian team, motivating them to address the specific areas that contributed to their series loss.

Gavaskar wrote “The loss to West Indies should not be a dampener. Don’t forget that they have won the ICC T20 World Cup twice, and their players are matchwinners for the different franchises they play for in the IPL. So, they are a top-class T20 team, and there’s no shame in losing to them.”

Additionally, the 74-year-old emphasized the necessity for India to identify and groom long-term replacements for key players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who have been given periods of rest.

“It should be a wake-up call, though, to see the areas where India needs to improve to strengthen its side. Some of those who were rested for this series may not be around for too long, so their replacements need to be found pretty quickly too, as the next ICC T20 World Cup is just a year away.”