Former Indian opening batter and commentator Sunil Gavaskar has slammed the Indian team for their poor fielding standards during their tour of the UK. Notably, Indian fielders dropped multiple catches during the Ireland and England series.
Writing his exclusive column for Sportstar, Gavaskar has clarified that it’s mandatory that an average fielder needs to be shown the exit door, adding that the captain shouldn’t hide three or four players hoping that the ball won’t go near them.
“It’s mandatory that if a player is an average fielder, he has to be shown the door. There is simply no way a captain has to hide three or four players, hoping the ball won’t go anywhere near them,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
Furthermore, Gavaskar advised the Indian batters to put a full stop to their attacking game of cricket, stating that they need to play the ball on its merits. He went on to add that no team in the world has five world-class bowlers and the Indian batters need to aim for a good eight to 12 overs in a T20 game to milk the runs.
“Shot selection is very important and here the batter has to rein in his ego and not try to live up to an image, but play the ball on its merits. Yes, in the ultra-short format, the T20, it is not easy to do so as big shots are needed virtually every other delivery. But it is different in the ODI format, where there is time for a short period of settling down before the power shots are unfurled,” said Gavaskar.
“It’s necessary to play smart cricket. So, figure out the bowler who doesn’t need to be counter-attacked. Then target the bowlers against whom you can make up for the quiet over from the better bowler. No team in the world has five top bowlers, and there will always be eight to 12 overs in a T20 game where the runs can be looted. Similarly, in the 50-over format, a little patience won’t hurt even if the team is chasing a big score like 380-plus,” he concluded.
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