Srinagar: Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has lashed out at KL Rahul for his slow batting and has said that India needed to be agressive in the World Cup final vs Australia.
In the final India set a target of 241 runs for Australia in Ahmedabad which Australia achieved for the loss of four wickets easily. The score was well below the expectation levels and Gambhir said that lack of intent to post big total cost India final trophy.
“It’s a double-edged sword. But I have always said this, the most courageous team will go on to win the World Cup. I can understand that you need time to build a partnership but 11 to 40 overs is a very, very long time. Someone should have taken that risk,” Gambhir told Sportskeeda.
Gambhir said that getting 240 should have never been an acceptable scenario.
“I would have actually liked India going really aggressive with their top 6-7 batters even if they had been all out for 150. I would have been fine. But if you feel you can defend 240 in a World Cup final…that is not where you fight. It is either this way or that. Either we go 150 all out or 300. That is where India have lacked. That is where India have not gone on to win ICC tournaments. Rohit should have sent the message before the game that even if I get out we should go aggressive,” he said.
Gambhir said that Kohli had been given the role of anchoring the innings and had done it well throughout the tournament. So, other batters should have tried to play aggressively around him. Instead, Rahul ended up scoring just 66 in 107 balls.
“Kohli has played a role of anchoring the innings, but the rest all should have been aggressive. KL should have gone. What harm would it have caused? We would have been 150 all out. But had we been brave, we could scored 310 and India would have been world champions. This is not the 1990s. 240 is not a good score at all. You need 300-plus totals. India were not brave enough,” said Gambhir.