Sunil Gavaskar warns India ahead of West Indies clash

India’s commanding 72-run victory over Zimbabwe gave the reigning champions a much-needed boost and helped steady their nerves as they advance through the competition. Ahead of their final T20 World Cup Super 8 match against the West Indies, legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar has issued a strong warning against complacency, despite the momentum gained from that clinical win.

Gavaskar emphasized that the team cannot afford to undervalue the two-time champions. If India wants to advance, they must develop precise, strategic ways to counter the West Indies lineup’s tremendous batting power.

“As they say, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ But India were broken against South Africa. They realized they needed a right-left combination at the top. Learning from the previous game was very important,” Gavaskar stated on JioStar. “Now, the West Indies is a completely different challenge. They cannot be taken for granted. Their batters are in top form, and their bowlers are doing well. They punish opposition mistakes and strike at the right time.”

He further added: “India will need a solid plan to handle the West Indies’ batting threat. Their batters start playing shots from ball one; they do not wait to see if a delivery deserves respect. Their way of respecting the ball is by hitting it over the ropes. India will have to play smart, devise unique plans, and outfox them. Sunday’s match is surely going to be a cracker.”

Gavaskar commended the Indian team’s tenacious recovery following their crushing 76-run loss to South Africa in Ahmedabad. He noted that the team’s resurgence was largely due to successful batting order changes and a noticeable improvement in their collective bowling performance. According to Gavaskar, while a defeat of that magnitude could easily shake a team’s confidence, India instead used it as a motivating force, demonstrating their resilience with a dominant performance against Sikandar Raza’s Zimbabwe side.