Despite putting up a total of 249, West Indies chased down the mammoth target of 250 with nine balls to spare. India suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of West Indies in the second T20I in Ranchi, as the visitors pulled off their record chase in the format. Speaking after the match, Gambhir stated that India cannot afford to take the defeat lightly, and that as T20 world champions, there should be higher expectations on them to deliver consistent victories.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir stressed that they could not afford to overlook their shortcomings, even as he acknowledged the difficulties of bowling on a batting-friendly surface.
“Especially with the opposition having lost two wickets in the first over and then lost three wickets in the powerplay.
It was tough on us but we’re going to keep improving,” Gambhir told the media in the post-game press conference. “He is a fast bowler, he should bowl like a fast bowler,” Gambhir said of Mayank’s spell. “You don’t shrug off any defeat. If you want to keep improving, you don’t want to put anything under the carpet. We are a world-champion team so we want to keep improving. These are obviously tough conditions to bowl – we know flat wickets with the dew – obviously it’s tough but we need to figure out and find the way. But again, credit to the West Indies, the way Shai Hope and Sherfane batted, we know they are world-class batters, especially in the format. “These bowlers are our bowlers, not someone else’s bowlers. Their careers are at stake, they have worked hard to sit in this dressing room. If it’s an even competition, we’ll see a better game of cricket. “He isn’t a slower bowler. If you can bowl 150kph, bowl at 150kph, if you bowl at 120kph, bowl at 120kph. When you are playing as a fast bowler, it is your responsibility to bowl fast.
And he did that today, getting success,” he stated.
