New Delhi, October 15, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has urged India’s batting unit to take greater responsibility ahead of the T20I series decider against the West Indies in Bengaluru, identifying the team’s struggles while chasing as a major concern following their latest defeat.
With the visitors keeping the contest alive through an impressive all-round performance, Gavaskar believes India must translate their status as back-to-back T20 World Cup champions into a more commanding batting display, particularly under dew-assisted conditions, to secure the series.
Gavaskar’s criticism centred on India’s failure to build on a promising start by Sanju Samson, whose contribution gave the hosts an opportunity to take control of the chase. However, the subsequent batters failed to maintain the momentum, allowing the West Indies to gain the upper hand.
“The first thing this Indian side needs to improve is how they chase. On a pitch like this, with the dew coming in, you have to show the kind of dominance with the bat that a back-to-back T20 World Cup winning team should, but that was missing completely in this game. Sanju gave India a great start, but the rest of the batters didn’t capitalise at all. Abhishek Sharma played a poor knock, which is not acceptable by his standards. Ishan Kishan fell right into Keemo Paul’s trap, and Shreyas Iyer has not got going since his hundred,” Gavaskar told JioStar.
The former captain was particularly critical of the middle order’s inability to convert a promising start into a competitive chase. He highlighted Abhishek Sharma’s dismissal, Ishan Kishan’s failure against Keemo Paul and Shreyas Iyer’s continued struggle for form since scoring his century.
Gavaskar said India could not afford repeated lapses in execution with the series at stake. While acknowledging the bowling unit’s shortcomings, he pointed out that the relatively inexperienced bowlers needed opportunities to learn and develop at the international level.
“The batting unit needs to show more responsibility. Yes, I know the bowling has been poor, but these bowlers are not experienced. They are new to international cricket, and they will need to get hit for boundaries, otherwise they will not learn. For India to win the decider, they should bat first, put up 240 to 250 and then keep West Indies to a low total. If the batters don’t take responsibility, this Indian side will not succeed,” he added.
The series decider is scheduled to be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. India will look to respond to their setback, with their batting performance likely to be a key factor in determining the outcome of the contest.
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