India in Australia: Don't Make Excuses, Virat Kohli Should Have Been Prepared to Bat, Says Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar said Shikhar Dhawan's injury on a practice wicket before the fourth day's play in the second Test against Australia should not be used an excuse for India's dramatic collapse Saturday morning, resulting in a four-wicket defeat at the Gabba. Dhawan was unbeaten on 26 overnight but his unavailability at the start of play meant Virat Kohli had to walk out instead.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Kohli got only five to seven minutes to prepare himself mentally and his dismissal for 1 off 11 balls triggered a debacle. "Well let's not make that as an excuse. A person who has got a hundred in each innings in the previous Test should have been prepared. Dhawan's injury in the morning before play started was unfortunate but pain is an individual thing. It is hard for anyone else to say whether Dhawan was uncomfortable enough to bat," Gavaskar told NDTV after Australia had taken an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the four match series. (50-50 Calls Not Going Our Way: Dhoni)

Dhoni had claimed there was unrest in the dressing-room after Dhawan copped a blow during practice. There was lack of communication on who would step out to bat with Cheteshwar Pujara and that seemed to have an adverse effect on the visitors' batting performance.

Gavaskar said opening batsmen do not have the luxury of seven minutes' preparation time and all of India's batsmen should have been ready.

"Opening batsmen do not get seven to eight minutes. Never look at seven minutes' preparation time as an excuse. Since I was present in the dressing-room, it is hard to say what kind of unrest it had been in," Gavaskar said on Saturday. (Dhoni Rues Batting Collapse)

However, Gavaskar, defended Dhoni and said the captain may not have talked of the unrest as an excuse. "Maybe Dhoni suggested that had Dhawan, who was batting well last night, been able to carry on this morning, it would have been good for India."

Gavaskar lauded the way Australia's pacemen led by Mitchell Johnson, dismantled the Indian batting and said the home bowlers atoned for the mistakes they had committed in the first innings.