Sunil Gavaskar blasts India’s Ireland series defeat, calls it ‘One of the Lowest’ in history

India’s T20I series loss against Ireland has sparked a lot of debate with several former cricketers questioning India’s approach rather than the outcome. The fact that India lost a bilateral series to Ireland for the first time has raised concerns, more so, when India came into the tour as the reigning T20 world champions.

Among those to express his disappointment was batting legend Sunil Gavaskar, who described the defeat as one of the darkest moments in Indian cricket. According to him, it was not Ireland’s brilliance but India’s attitude that proved costly.

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Sunil Gavaskar delivers strong verdict on India’s defeat

The two-match series also marked the beginning of Shreyas Iyer’s stint as India’s new T20I captain following Suryakumar Yadav’s removal from the role. However, the tour ended on a disappointing note as India lost both matches to suffer a 2-0 series defeat.

Reacting to the result, Gavaskar did not hold back in his criticism.

“Sunday, June 28, will go down as one of the worst days in Indian cricket. Losing a game of cricket is one thing, but losing a series, albeit a two-match series, also depends on whom you lose to. There are many low points in Indian cricket, and I have been a part of some, but to lose to Ireland has to be one of the lowest in the history of Indian cricket. If Ireland had played exceptional cricket, then it would have lessened the blow. It was simply overconfidence and a sense of casualness that let India down, and that’s why the sadness,” he told Sportstar.

Gavaskar compares India’s attitude to West Indies in 1983

The former India captain compared India’s batting approach against Ireland to the overconfidence shown by the mighty West Indies during the 1983 World Cup final.

He recalled how India’s disciplined bowling and Kapil Dev’s famous catch dismissed Viv Richards before the West Indies collapsed while chasing.

“It was very much like West Indies in the final of the 1983 World Cup. India’s bowlers bowled smart, tight lines and lengths, and there was that outstanding, game-turning catch by the skipper, Kapil Dev, to get rid of Viv Richards, who looked intent on finishing the game in a canter. When you look at the West Indies batters’ dismissals, you will see the same overconfidence and casualness that we saw from the Indian batters in both games against Ireland.”

Batting failures prove costly in both matches

India struggled while chasing in both T20Is. In the opening match, they failed to reach a target of 183 and were bowled out 34 runs short. The second game was even closer, but India fell just one run behind after Ireland posted 154/8.

Gavaskar believes India’s batters failed to read the match situation and continued to play high-risk shots despite the conditions offering assistance to the bowlers.

“Playing according to the situation is such an important aspect of any sport, especially cricket, but almost all the Indian batters tried to live up to their image and, on pitches that had a little extra carry and bounce, found that they were dismissed very easily by some good catching allied to smart bowling,” Gavaskar added.

India look to bounce back in England

The series defeat has handed the Indian team an early setback under Iyer’s captaincy and given the management plenty to think about before the upcoming five-match T20I series against England.

With Gavaskar questioning both the attitude and game awareness of the batting unit, India will be eager to respond strongly and avoid carrying the disappointment of the Ireland tour into their next assignment.