‘Well begun is half done’: Sunil Gavaskar dissects India's historic ODI series defeat despite Virat Kohli's brilliance

NEW DELHI: Former India captain and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has offered a stinging assessment of India’s shock ODI series loss to New Zealand, blaming the batters’ repeated failure to provide solid starts and urging them to learn how to pace an innings from Virat Kohli.

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India slumped to a 41-run defeat in the third and final ODI in Indore, chasing a daunting 338, to lose their first-ever 50-over home series against New Zealand. While Kohli fought a lone battle with a superb 108-ball 124, the lack of meaningful support at the other end proved decisive in another underwhelming result for the hosts.




“Unless Virat Kohli got substantial support, it was always going to be difficult, and he got very little of it,” Gavaskar said on Amul Cricket Live on JioStar. “The real problem for India throughout the series has been the starts. As they say, well begun is half done.”

Gavaskar pointed out that India’s inability to begin strongly consistently put pressure on the middle order during steep chases. “India never began well, and that’s one of the main reasons they weren’t able to chase these big scores,” he added.


India were reduced to 159 for five, a collapse that effectively tilted the match in New Zealand’s favour. Gavaskar highlighted how the fall of key wickets made the task near impossible. “When you lose someone in good form like KL Rahul, and then you have Nitish Kumar Reddy, who hadn’t really done justice to his ability until this innings of 53, and Harshit Rana, someone you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get, it becomes an uphill climb,” he explained.

The former opener reserved special praise for Kohli’s temperament and adaptability, urging younger batters to follow his example. “He’s not tied down to an image. He’s tied to the job at hand, and that job is to score runs,” Gavaskar said. “That temperament is the key. He never gives up. Even till the end, he was trying.”

Gavaskar also applauded Harshit Rana’s spirited lower-order half-century, noting his ability to stay in the moment despite earlier setbacks. “He batted exactly like a lower-order batter should, without worry and without expectations,” he said, calling it a rare positive on a disappointing night for India.


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