'Kids against men': Sunil Gavaskar, R Ashwin give verdicts on India's T20I series loss in West Indies

Indian cricket team’s dominance on the tour of West Indies fizzled in the T20I format to cap off the series. After winning the Test series 1-0, the ODIs 2-1, West Indies came back to clinch the shortest format 3-2 in dramatic fashion. With a year to go to the T20 World Cup, India went down 0-2 in the five-match T20I series. The Men in Blue roared back to level the series but were swept aside in the decider. West Indies beat India by 8 wickets, with 12 balls left, to win the fifth T20I in Lauderhill, Florida, to clinch the series. The inconsistent and largely below-par showing from India has prompted many to question the state of affairs in the team. Individually, many of the rookies Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan and Mukesh Kumar clicked but collectively the team didn’t work. Former India legend Sunil Gavaskar made an intriguing boys vs men analogy to compare the two sides. “A player could do well at the franchise level, but when it comes to playing for the country, it’s a different ball game of pressures and expectations. It is one step up, which can be too steep for even some of the best performers at the franchise level. How often have we seen this when the Under-19 performers just aren’t able to take that one step up from a boys’ tournament to a men’s competition?,” he wrote in his Sportstar column. “Yes, the kids look great playing against kids, but when they come up against the men, they suddenly find that what looks like a piece of cake at the under-19 level is more like mud at the senior level. That’s why so many who looked good at the boys’ level have been found wanting at the senior level. It’s not just the temperament; even the skill set is way below the standard required at the franchise level. Then, having been bought for crores, some of these youngsters lose the fire in the belly and are happy to cruise along in later years and get their contracts extended, even if it is for a lesser amount,” he further penned. However, Gavaskar reminded everyone of West Indies’ credentials, especially in the shortest format, and there was ’no shame in losing to them.’ “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. 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,” he explained. ‘Plenty of positives’

India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin opted to look at the positives despite the defeat and went after those who criticised the team. “There are plenty of positives from this T20I series. It is very easy to criticise the team on social media since they lost to a team that didn’t qualify for the last T20 World Cup. They haven’t qualified for the upcoming 50-over World Cup as well. I want to give a piece of information to you guys,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. Ashwin argued that this would have been a learning curve for many youngsters in the squad. “I am not talking, backing, or supporting anybody. All of these are secondary. As a youngster, if you are going to the West Indies, there will be some challenges. In all countries, there will be some innate secrets. The local players know these things more than visiting players. Especially if the players are young. When I went to West Indies, England, Australia, I had to learn various little things…these are first-time experiences for me as a cricketer. So, youngsters would have learned a lot from this tour. They will definitely get better from here. Losing the series 2-3 to West Indies…many of them are criticising and upset. It’s okay and understandable. It’s only fair, I guess. But we can see this loss from two perspectives. The players will get experience from this series,” he added.