'Teams in the past all had top class All-rounders' - Sunil Gavaskar's take on Team India's performances in big tournaments in recent years

Team India's inability to win a big tournament since 2013 has been well accounted for. Many cricketers have different opinions regarding the team’s failures. While some criticize the captains for the team’s loss, some acknowledge the challenges for the team. The former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has spoken about the same. 

Former Indian opener felt that luck plays a part in success. "More than anything else, luck of the day is very important and if you look at the teams in 1983, 1985, and 2011, they all had top-class all-rounders. You had batters who could bowl 7-8-9 overs and bowlers who could bat down the order. That was the biggest plus of those teams,” said Gavaskar.  

The former Indian cricketer recalled India’s 2011 ODI World Cup and praised its versatility. “You see MSD's team also: Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virender Sehwag could all bowl. It was the biggest plus. So, any team that has all-rounders will hold the edge,” added Gavaskar.  

'All-rounders are the key element' - Sunil Gavaskar

The former Indian captain felt that all-rounders play a crucial part in the team’s success. "You look at England who won last year's T20 World Cup, look at the all-rounders they had. So, all-rounders are the key element. We have got immense talent, but in the knockout stage you need a little bit of luck on the day,” said Gavaskar, as he talked about the importance of all-rounders.   

"If you look at our situation in the knockout stages where we lost, we had ill luck just about every time. In the last World Cup (2019) we had a semifinal match versus New Zealand which stretched into the second day. If it had gone the proper full day, we might have had a different story, because the next day it was seaming conditions, and the New Zealand bowlers could bowl well. So, I think you need a little bit of luck on the day. I mean there are four very good teams, so you need luck on the day" concluded Gavaskar.