Sunil Gavaskar identifies the villain behind India’s New Zealand debacle: ‘I don’t want to take names but…’

Sunil Gavaskar did not name individuals but was quick to address an area of concern he feels led to India's series defeat against New Zealand.

Indian cricket finds itself in turmoil. After being whitewashed by New Zealand two years ago in one of the most painful defeats in decades, the slump has reached ODIs, with the Men in Blue suffering their first-ever ODI series defeat against the BlackCaps on their home soil. India began the series with a narrow win before the Kiwis came from behind to clinch the 2nd and 3rd ODIs, and in turn, the series. India let the game slip, allowing New Zealand, from 5/2, to come back into the game and post a challenging total of 338/7, one that proved a little too stiff for India to chase down. Virat Kohli starred with one of his better centuries, but to no avail. With Kohli running out of partners, even his 54th ODI century could only do so much. In the end, India fell short by 41 runs, playing a role in ending New Zealand’s duck.

Sunilm Gavaskar, right, did not hold back (BCCI/AFP)

After the match, Sunil Gavaskar pulled no punches in dissecting India’s series defeat. While Kohli was sensational once again, with scores of 93, 23 and 124, the collective failures of Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja raised eyebrows. Gavaskar, however, instead of pinpointing individuals, looked at a broader reason for the outcome, explaining how the fielders were caught napping and allowed the New Zealand batters to rotate the strike easily.

“I don’t want to take names, but certain individuals allowed single to be taken very easily. Yes, Rohit Sharma was quick, and Virat Kohli, we all know what an athlete he is on the field, but I just felt the fielding could have been a lot more proactive,” Gavaskar said during a discussion with Simon Doull.

New Zealand were all over the place after Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana sent openers Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls packing for 5 and a first-ball duck, respectively. After New Zealand added 53 more runs on the board, India struck with a crucial wicket when Harshit dismissed the dangerous-looking Will Young. However, from then on, India would have to wait 31 overs for the next breakthrough, with Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Philips putting on a 219-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

As for Gavaskar’s point, India were a whole lot better on the field in Indore, giving away only three extras. In fact, despite all the criticism surrounding Jadeja’s lack of contributions with the bat, he pulled off a stunning catch. This wasn’t the only time Gavaskar expressed his concern about India’s defeat. After the 2nd game in Rajkot, the legendary India captain was surprised by how easily New Zealand got over the line, chasing down 285 with seven wickets left and 15 balls remaining.

What Gavaskar said after 2nd ODI

"I was surprised by how easily New Zealand got across the line because, before they started batting, everyone thought India would be able to make use of the slowness of the pitch. With their bowlers, not just the spinners, but all of them, using the slowness of the surface well, it felt like India would be able to restrict New Zealand to around 260 or 270. I thought that would have been an easy win for India," Gavaskar had said after the 2nd ODI.

"But full credit to New Zealand, particularly the partnership between Will Young and Daryl Mitchell. That 150-plus stand just took the game away. I think they showed how a near-300 run total can be chased down by taking your time to settle in and then backing your stroke-making ability and running between the wickets. Daryl Mitchell deserves huge credit, not just for the batting, but even after getting to his hundred, the way he kept running hard, putting pressure on the fielders, and constantly taking twos. That shows both fitness and commitment to the team."