The kids look great playing against kids, but when they come up against the men’… Gavaskar furious over India’s embarrassing series loss against West Indies
The former Indian captain didn’t mimic his words after India lost its first series against West Indies in West Indies across formats since 2006
Yes, the kids look great playing against kids, but when they come up against the men, they suddenly find that what looks like a piece of cake at the under-19 level is more like mud at the senior level.
That’s why so many who looked good at the boys’ level have been found wanting at the senior level. It’s not just the temperament; even the skill set is way below the standard required at the franchise level.
Then, having been bought for crores, some of these youngsters lose the fire in the belly and are happy to cruise along in later years and get their contracts extended, even if it is for a lesser amount.” This is what former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar wrote for Sportster following India’s embarrassing loss to West Indies in the T20I series their first across formats in the Caribbean since 2006.
In Gavaskar’s words
India was comprehensively outplayed by the West Indies, especially in the final T20I in Florida which the host won comfortably by 8 wickets courtesy of a fine half-century from the bat of Brandon King who scored runs when it mattered.
Gavaskar further wrote “A player could do well at the franchise level, but when it comes to playing for the country, it’s a different ball game of pressures and expectations. It is one step up, which can be too steep for even some of the best performers at the franchise level. How often have we seen this when the Under-19 performers just aren’t able to take that one step up from a boys’ tournament to a men’s competition?”
One for the future
The ex-Indian opener was impressed by the new kid on the block Tilak Varma. The left-hander who plays for Hyderabad in domestic cricket impressed everyone with his temperament and skills.
He scored his maiden international fifty in only his second match and opened his account in international cricket with a six on the second ball of his T20I debut innings which was a sneak peek into the mindset of how a youngster approaches the game. Tilak scored 173 runs in 5 matches with an impressive average of 57.67
