IND vs AUS 2022: “They have not been able to defend good scores” – Sunil Gavaskar slams India’s bowling in first T20I

Sunil Gavaskar has criticized the Indian bowlers for failing to defend in T20I matches over the last few years. He feels that the bowlers have failed to live up to expectations despite the Men in Blue being the No.1 ranked T20I team in the world.

His statement came after Rohit Sharma and Co. failed to defend 208 runs against Australia in the opening T20I of a three-match series, in Mohali on Tuesday (September 20).

A sensational batting display from Cameron Green 61 (30) and a late blitz from Matthew Wade (unbeaten 45 off 21 balls) saw the visitors home with four wickets to spare.

Speaking to Sports Today, Gavaskar said:

“We have seen over the last few years that [bowling] has been one of the areas where India has suffered. They have not been able to defend good scores.”

Senior bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar once again proved to be expensive in the 19th over. With 18 runs needed in the last couple of overs, he leaked 16 runs in the penultimate over.

He leaked 19 and 14 runs against Pakistan and Sri Lanka respectively in the penultimate overs of their Asia Cup Super 4 matches. India lost those games by five and six wickets, respectively.

Harshal Patel made a comeback after recovering from injury. However, he also gave away 22 runs in the 18th over, which shifted the momentum in favor of the Aussies.

In June, India lost their opening T20I against South Africa in Delhi despite setting a target of 212 runs. The Proteas won the match by seven wickets with five balls to spare.

---

“It might be a completely different situation” – Sunil Gavaskar banks on Jasprit Bumrah to solve Indian bowling woes

Gavaskar feels that the return of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will likely solve the death and powerplay problems.

The right-arm pacer was rested for the first T20I. He missed the Asia Cup due to an injury that he suffered in July. However, he is likely to return for the second T20I in Nagpur on Friday (September 23).

The cricketer-turned-commentator said:

“Maybe when Bumrah comes in, it might be a completely different situation. He is the kind of bowler who can get you wickets at the top, and India didn’t get wickets at the top either because Australia got off to a flying start.”

Captain Rohit Sharma also seemed unhappy with the bowling department. He said they should be able to defend 60 runs in the last four overs.

Speaking on Star Sports, he said:

“You can back yourself to defend 60 runs in the final four overs. We were not able to take that extra wicket, and that was the turning point. If we would have taken another wicket, things would have been different.”

He added:

“I don't think we bowled well. Two hundred is a good score to defend, and we didn't take our chances on the field. It was a great effort from our batters, but (the) bowlers were not quite there.”

Rohit Sharma's side will look to bounce back the a do-or-die match on Friday.