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Former Indian opening batter Sunil Gavaskar predicted a few players to retire from T20I cricket after a shock defeat in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final against England. The cricketer-turned-commentator also feels all-rounder Hardik Pandya will take over the baton from Rohit Sharma as India's next T20I captain.
The Men in Blue crashed out of the showpiece T20 tournament following a 10-wicket hammering at the hands of England at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, November 10.
Jos Buttler (80*) and Alex Hales (86*) left the Indian bowlers dazed as England chased down 169 in 16 overs with 10 wickets in hand.
Gavaskar stated that he sees potential in Hardik's captaincy, given a victorious IPL campaign this year with the Gujarat Titans (GT). As quoted by India Today, he said:
"Having won the Indian Premier League on his first assignment as the captain, they would have marked Hardik Pandya out as the next captain. Hardik Pandya will definitely take over the team in the future and there will be some retirements, you never know.
"Players will be giving it a lot of thought. There are several players in their mid-30s who will be reconsidering their position in the Indian T20I team."
India struggled for an imposing start against England as they scored only 38/1 in the powerplay. They struggled to find boundaries until Hardik Pandya exploded in death overs to finish unbeaten at 63 off 33 balls as the Men in Blue posted 168/6.
"India seem to freeze in these knockout games" - Sunil Gavaskar
Gavaskar also observed that India's batting hasn't made the desired impact in the knockout games, leaving the bowlers with a lot to do. He added:
"I just think India seem to freeze in these knockout games, particularly with the batting and it is the batting which has been the strength of the Indian team. In the semi-finals, the batting has not been as good as it should be.
"Obviously, at this stage, you are going to get much better bowling attacks than maybe the group stages and that's understandable. But the batting really hasn't got the runs that the bowlers can defend."
England will now meet Pakistan in the final at the MCG on Sunday as both teams eye their second T20 World Cup crown.
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