India’s Test woes continue against New Zealand, with the visitors taking a commanding lead in the third innings of the second Test in Pune. Amidst the disappointment, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has urged the team to focus on the present series rather than the upcoming India vs Australia Test series.
Gavaskar’s comments came during commentary on the second day of the second Test, when fellow commentator Dinesh Karthik mentioned the Australia series. Gavaskar promptly interjected, emphasizing the importance of staying present and not getting distracted by future events.
“Don’t talk about Australia now. That is a mistake that a lot of people often make. You’ve got to worry about what’s happening now. Your focus should be only on what’s happening at the moment. Australia will take care of itself. When you go there, you will find the methods to beat Australia. You’ve done that over the last couple of trips there. You found a way,” Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar also pointed out that the media and others outside the team are contributing to the distraction by constantly discussing the Australia series. He believes that this external noise can be detrimental to the team’s performance in the current series.
“It’s not the players. The players are focused on the game. It’s the circle around which is the media and everybody else which is talking about Australia. There is so much of coverage about what is going to happen in Australia. The Australian players are all the time talking about the Indian team, what should be the team and all that. Pick him, pick that player. No body is asking us about the Australian team. All the former Australian players are telling us pick this guy, that guy. Ask us too who should be in the Australian team,” Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar’s advice echoes the sentiments of many experts who believe that India needs to address its current challenges before looking ahead to the Australia series. The team has struggled with batting collapses and inconsistent bowling performances in the ongoing series against New Zealand, and these issues need to be resolved before they can hope to compete against a formidable Australian side.
