Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar believes India’s inability to get solid starts was the decisive factor behind their ODI series loss to New Zealand and has urged the rest of the batting group to emulate Virat Kohli’s approach to pacing an innings while chasing demanding targets.
Gavaskar’s comments came after India suffered a 41-run defeat in Sunday’s third and final ODI in Indore, handing them their first-ever home bilateral ODI series loss to New Zealand. The result extended a run of disappointing outcomes for the hosts in recent months.
While Kohli struck a composed 124 off 108 balls in the chase of 338, India were unable to build sustained partnerships around him. Gavaskar felt that lack of support, coupled with repeated poor starts, proved costly across the series.
“Unless Virat Kohli got substantial support, it was always going to be difficult, and he got very little of it. The real problem for India throughout the series has been the starts. As they say, well begun is half done,” Gavaskar said in his post-match analysis.
“India never began well, and that’s one of the main reasons they weren’t able to chase these big scores,” he added.
India’s position deteriorated sharply after losing five wickets for 159, a phase that effectively ended their hopes of pulling off the chase.
“…when you lose someone in good form like KL Rahul, and you have Nitish Kumar Reddy, who hadn’t really done justice to his ability until this innings of 53 runs and then Harshit Rana, someone you are never quite sure what you are going to get, it becomes an uphill climb. That’s exactly what India found,” Gavaskar explained.
The former opener praised Kohli’s resolve and adaptability, stressing that his mindset should serve as a template for younger batters. “The thing about him is that he’s not tied down to an image. A lot of batters and bowlers are constrained by how they’re perceived, and they feel they must live up to that image. Virat isn’t like that,” he said.
“He’s tied to the job at hand, and that job is to score runs. Sometimes, that means starting watchfully and then opening up. Sometimes, it means attacking early and then spreading the field and picking up ones and twos. He’s not governed by expectations of how he should play,” he added.
“That temperament is the key. He doesn’t think, ‘I’m expected to hit a six.’ He plays according to the situation. He never gives up. Even till the end, he was trying. For youngsters, that’s the biggest lesson, don’t live up to an image. Play the situation, and you’ll be far more consistent than you ever imagined.”
Gavaskar also singled out Harshit Rana for praise after his late half-century briefly revived India’s hopes, highlighting the young all-rounder’s mental strength. “It was a very good innings by Harshit Rana. He batted exactly like a lower-order batter should, without worry and without expectations…What impressed me was that Harshit didn’t get hassled by earlier failures, especially with someone like Virat Kohli at the other end,” he said.