T20 World Cup: Gautam Gambhir says wrong to blame IPL for India's performance

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has rejected the claims made by cricket followers that the Indian cricket team is underperforming in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 because they are playing the tournament after playing the Indian Premier League(IPL) 2021. Team India is yet to win a match after playing against Pakistan and New Zealand in the Super-12 stage of the T20 World Cup. Having lost to Pakistan by 10 wickets and to New Zealand by eight wickets, the Indian players faced scrutiny as the IPL was blamed for India’s terrible start. However, as India face Afghanistan on November 3, Gambhir expressed his thoughts on people blaming the IPL.

While speaking to the official broadcaster of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 Star Sports, Gambhir said, “You can't blame the IPL. If anything goes wrong with Indian cricket, everyone starts pointing fingers towards the IPL. This is wrong. Sometimes, you have to expect that 2-3 teams are playing better cricket than you. The earlier you accept that, the better it will be for you.” He further added that in India vs New Zealand match, the team was nervous, which had nothing to do with the IPL. He also cited the ICC ODI World Cup 2019 and said India reached the semi-finals after playing in the IPL.

Afghanistan have already won two matches, while India seek their maiden win

In addition to his thoughts on the IPL, Gambhir also spoke about India’s next match by admitting Afghanistan isn’t a pushover. He praised their bowling attack by saying it is better than that of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Gambhir also suggested that as India head into the do-or-die match, they should focus on winning the match rather than thinking about the net run rate. In Group-2 of the Super-12 stage of the tournament, Pakistan have already qualified for the semi-finals by winning four consecutive matches. With India yet to win a match, the net run rate plays a huge role if India wants to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament. The clash against Afghanistan is a do-or-die situation for India as Afghanistan head into the matches after winning two matches.

Image: AP/PTI