Legendary India opener Sunil Gavaskar has defended the Hyderabad pitch following India’s 24-run defeat to the West Indies in the fourth T20I, saying the hosts’ bowlers were to blame for the loss. India, having won the toss, opted to field first.
However, theposted a mammoth 247/3 in 20 overs, powered by an unbeaten century from captain Shai Hope.
In reply, India were restricted to 223/9 in 19.3 overs after Arshdeep Singh retired hurt. noted that the West Indies bowlers had also struggled to maintain consistent lengths early on. However, once they found their rhythm, the visitors began executing their yorkers effectively.
Following six-wicket defeat in the second T20I, in which the West Indies chased down a target of 250, head coach Gautam Gambhir had called for a better balance between bat and ball in the shortest format. Gavaskar’s latest comments, however, suggest that the pitch was not the problem and that India’s bowling was instead to blame.
“Even the West Indies bowlers made quite a few errors while the partnership between Tilak Varma and Nitish was developing; they bowled too many full tosses. We often talk about pitches and blame them, claiming they offer no assistance to the bowlers. But if you bowl full tosses, the pitch isn’t to blame,” the 77-year-old said on JioHotstar after the match.
“Only later, when they bowled the right length or delivered yorkers, did they find success,” Gavaskar added.
India’s bowlers were underwhelming in Hyderabad. Mayank Yadav returned figures of 0/52 in four overs, while Arshdeep Singh finished with 1/52 from his four overs. Prince Yadav and Axar Patel registered figures of 1/36 and 1/45, respectively, in their four overs.
The five-match T20I series is now level at 2-2. India won the first T20I by eight wickets in Lucknow, but the West Indies levelled the series with an incredible six-wicket win in the second T20I in Ranchi.
The Men in Blue regained a 2-1 lead with a 14-run win in the third T20I in Indore. West Indies’ 24-run win in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad on Wednesday means that the fifth T20I in Bengaluru on Saturday will be a decider.
