India vs England: Escapists Attitude on Perth Pitch Hurt us, Slams Sunil Gavaskar
On a Perth track where even England batsmen found going tough, the India top order was guilty of even trying to fight. The attitude, more than the form, has left Sunil Gavaskar bitter.
On Friday, India lost to England by three wickets in what was their final ODI ahead of the World Cup. The team finished its tour Down Under without a single win - either from the four Tests or the ODIs, leaving millions of fans in utter despair. Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar is one of them.(Match Report)
The Indian batting stuttered on a challenging Perth wicket and managed to score just 200 after being put into bat. That the paltry total was despite a solid 83-run opening stand between Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan has left Gavaskar bitterly disappointed.(Highlights | Scorecard)
"Dhawan and Rahane showed a lot of patience and the other batsmen should have done the same," Gavaskar said. "Most of the batsmen today were escapists, content in staying at the other end or playing rash shots and getting out."(Ganguly Angry With Jadeja)
For the first time in the tri-nation ODI series, India didn't lose a wicket in the first 10 overs. India were 83 when Dhawan was the first to go for 38. From there, a numbing implosion saw the team collapse to 165/9. In fact, it was No. 11 batsman Mohammad Shami (25) who carried India on the shoulders of his wildly-swinging blade and onto the 200-run mark.
"Most of the Indian batsmen looked like they just wanted to give up," said Gavaskar. "Cricket's not about that, it is about putting up a fight," he said, adding that 20-odd runs could have ensured a win.
Gavaskar's anger was hardly ill-founded. And he was not the only one to blast the batsman. While former India captain Sourav Ganguly blasted Ravindra Jadeja (5) for his irresponsible batting when over six overs remained, even captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni felt poor shot selection is a major worry for him and the team.
"More runs would have surely helped. The track here wasn't the biggest factor as poor shot selection from most of us was bad," Dhoni said at the post-match ceremony.
With a little over two weeks left for India's first World Cup match - against arch-rivals Pakistan at Adelaide on February 15, the need for batsmen to find form is extremely important. After the display at Perth, it is amply clear that the need to bat responsibly is as crucial as in the endeavor to find form.