Ranchi, October 10 (Daily Kiran) : Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has raised concerns about the bowling decisions made during India’s second T20 match against West Indies in Ranchi. He pointed out that for the crucial 18th over, Axar Patel may not have been the best choice, suggesting that either Arshdeep Singh or Mayank Yadav would have been more effective.
Speaking on JioStar, Gavaskar stated, “I would have picked either Arshdeep or Mayank. Yes, Arshdeep conceded a lot of runs in his last over, but Mayank had already taken three early wickets. His economy rate was around 12 per over, which was what West Indies needed at that moment. If he had taken another wicket, sometimes when the game is going your way, you never know, you might just get that breakthrough, even if it’s not a great delivery.”
Gavaskar also questioned the decision to bowl Shivam Dube in the ninth over, suggesting that Kuldeep Yadav would have been a better option at that time.
He explained, “Once you take a wicket, the opposing team suddenly finds themselves on the back foot. A new batsman has to come in. Perhaps that could have been tried. I don’t think it was right to give Shivam Dube the ball at that moment. When the batsman is still settling in, bringing in Kuldeep could have been a better strategy.”
These comments came after India failed to defend a score of 249/5, allowing West Indies to chase down the target at 252/4 in just 19.2 overs, tying the five-match series at 1-1. This chase marked the largest successful run chase for West Indies against India.
Mayank Yadav did provide an early breakthrough with three wickets, but the host team could not prevent West Indies from gaining momentum. Captain Shai Hope led the charge with an unbeaten 102 runs off 45 balls, supported by Sherfane Rutherford, who scored 84 runs off 37 balls. Together, they formed a crucial partnership worth 120 runs.
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