‘Piece of cake at U-19 level is like mud at the senior level’: Sunil Gavaskar gives ‘boys against men’ analogy as India lose T20 series vs West Indies | Cricket News

After India’s embarrassing loss to West Indies in the fifth and final T20, which saw them lose the series 2-3, former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar had quite an unforgiving verdict.
India won the Test series 1-0 and just about managed to win the ODI series 2-1. The T20I series however was a true wake-up call. India lost the first two games, before bouncing back to draw level but in the fifth game, they suffered an embarrassing eight-wicket loss.
Many rookie stars, including the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and Mukesh Kumar were brought into the team. While a few of them clicked on an individual level, they didn’t shine as a team.
The duo of Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan – that also opened in the ODI series – opened for the side in the first two T20Is. However, they could only add 5 and 16 in the two matches respectively. Ishan was then rested for youngster Jaiswal, but barring the fourth T20I where the duo forged a brilliant 165-run stand, it was a disappointment for the side.
Gavaskar said it’s challenging to transition from dominating at the franchise level to donning the national colors. He noted that the switch from U19 to the senior team is also difficult, using the ‘boys vs men’ analogy.

“A player could do well at the franchise level, but when it comes to playing for the country, it’s a different ball game of pressures and expectations. It is one step up, which can be too steep for even some of the best performers at the franchise level. How often have we seen this when the Under-19 performers just aren’t able to take that one step up from a boys’ tournament to a men’s competition?” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“Yes, the kids look great playing against kids, but when they come up against the men, they suddenly find that what looks like a piece of cake at the under-19 level is more like mud at the senior level. That’s why so many who looked good at the boys’ level have been found wanting at the senior level. It’s not just the temperament; even the skill set is way below the standard required at the franchise level. Then, having been bought for crores, some of these youngsters lose the fire in the belly and are happy to cruise along in later years and get their contracts extended, even if it is for a lesser amount.”
Gavaskar however said that the defeat shouldn’t be a dampener..
“The loss to West Indies should not be a dampener. Don’t forget that they have won the ICC T20 World Cup twice, and their players are matchwinners for the different franchises they play for in the IPL. So, they are a top-class T20 team, and there’s no shame in losing to them. It should be a wake-up call, though, to see the areas where India needs to improve to strengthen its side. Some of those who were rested for this series may not be around for too long, so their replacements need to be found pretty quickly too, as the next ICC T20 World Cup is just a year away,” he explained.