Legendary Sunil Gavaskar believes that India cannot whitewash Australia away from home to force their entry into the World Test Championship Final. Speaking exclusively to India Today on Monday, November 4, Gavaskar said that the Indian team should not focus on the WTC Final qualification and rather focus on the upcoming tour – which is the showpiece event for the year for both sides.
India have put themselves in a precarious position after losing 0-3 against New Zealand at home and have slipped out of the top spot in the WTC points table. The Rohit Sharma side, who had dominated the WTC fixtures in the ongoing season, but lost their grip on the top spot after their first-ever whitewash at home.
With South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand rapidly climbing the points table, India need a 4-0 win from their last 5 matches to directly qualify for the WTC Final, set to be held in Lord’s next year.
But, can India do the unprecedented and thrash Australia Down Under? Gavaskar does not think so.
“No, I don’t. I actually think that India cannot beat Australia 4-0 in the Test series. I’d be over the moon, if they do that. But 4-0? India can win 3-1, 4-0 is… I don’t want to talk about the World Test Championship Final. Now just focus on trying to win the series in Australia. Never mind whether you win 1-0,2-0,3-0, 3-1,2-1. But go and win. Because that is how all of us Indian cricket fans are going to be back to feeling good again,” Sunil Gavaskar told India Today in an exclusive chat.
India are expected to fare better in the Australian pitches, where the ball comes on to the bat better. The Rohit Sharma-led team faltered in the 3 Tests against New Zealand despite preparing rank turners in Pune and Mumbai. Gavaskar believed that India wanted to ensure their qualification into the WTC Final in the New Zealand series, but ended up playing into the hands of the Kiwis.
Gavaskar further argued that India wasted Jasprit Bumrah’s excellence by preparing dust bowls and going forward should prepare wickets that help the best new ball bowler in the world.
“I think that’s got to be due to the thinking that India needed to win and qualify for the WTC final. And the thinking of the change-room would be that the only way we can win is by preparing pitches, which is which will turn from day one despite having, by all accounts, the best new ball bowler in the world in our team – Jasprit Bumrah. He’s the best new ball bowler in the world. I mean, just about every cricketer you know everybody who follows the game of cricket will say that he is the best new ball bowler in the game today, so we should be preparing pitches which will help him, actually,” Gavaskar said in the same chat.
“Then you have somebody like Akash Deep, who will also look good. With New Zealand, it’s bowling attack, with the greatest of respect, they’re not the kind of bowling attack that you know Indian batters should be succumbing to,” he concluded.
