Sunil Gavaskar believes that if India wins the toss in their forthcoming 2023 World Cup match against England in Lucknow on Sunday, October 29, they should chase.
Gavaskar further emphasized that Team India performed admirably when batting second in the championship game and should maintain the same strategy.
Gavaskar addressed Sports Today on the significance of taking one match at a time:
“You just want to win, and if chasing is the way you want to win, just keep doing it. Don’t worry about knockouts at this stage. Do not think too far ahead. Just focus on the next match, that’s all.”
“Don’t think about who you are going to play on the 1st of November or 5th of November,” he added. “Just focus on who you are going to be playing on October 29th of October. Don’t think about the future; the future will take care of itself.”
Sunil Gavaskar
So far in the 2023 World Cup, Rohit Sharma and his team have impressively chased down targets in all five of their matches. They’ve racked up five victories, placing them second in the current points table.
Sunil Gavaskar also stated that the Men in Blue should resist making any changes to their playing XI, regardless of the pitch conditions. He said:
“No changes in this team. They have done really well. You don’t need to change Suryakumar Yadav because he didn’t get the opportunity to show what he can do, as he was run out for not too many. And Mohammed Shami, when he got the ball in his hand, he took a fifer. So, there is really no need for any changes for this game. No change; never mind what the pitch is.”
Sunil Gavaskar
India remains the single undefeated team in the tournament. Meanwhile, England has only managed to secure one victory in their five games and find themselves struggling at the absolute bottom of the points table.
Jos Buttler Should Open for England, Says Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar further expressed his thoughts stating that the wicket’s pressure has prevented England captain Jos Buttler from playing his typical game in the middle-order.
He suggested that Buttler’s successful past performance as an opener in T20 cricket speaks for itself. In his view, Buttler should step up to lead at the beginning of the remaining 2023 World Cup matches. Sunil Gavaskar further explained:
“Jos Buttler loves the ball to come onto the bat. We have seen that in T20s. So, clearly, there is a case for him opening the batting because that might be exactly what the kind of start they need.”
“He can set the tempo as the captain and show what the team needs to be doing,” he added. “When he comes in to bat at No. 5, already two or three wickets are down. Here, there is no pressure of any wickets down. He can go and play his game naturally and freely.”
Sunil Gavaskar
Jos Buttler has failed to find his rhythm with the bat this season. The swashbuckling hitter has only 95 runs on the season, with an average of 19.00.