Photo via The Times of India

'I don't blame anyone': Gambhir's strong words after India fail to defend 249

India’s second T20I defeat to the West Indies in Ranchi left head coach Gautam Gambhir rejecting excuses, insisting his team must own the failure to defend a competitive 249-run target. The hosts, who had won the toss but faced challenging dew conditions, struggled to contain a relentless West Indies batting lineup, which chased down the revised 250 in just 18.3 overs—their highest successful T20I run-chase against India.

Shai Hope’s unbeaten 102 and Sherfane Rutherford’s 84 anchored a dominant display, leveling the five-match series at 1-1. Gambhir acknowledged the difficulty of bowling on a flat, dew-affected pitch but emphasized that India’s inability to restrict world-class batters was the core issue.

Mayank Yadav’s early strike—dismissing two West Indies openers in the first over—offered fleeting hope, but Gambhir noted that a single spell could not dictate the outcome. The coach stressed that defeats must be analyzed honestly, not dismissed, as India seeks to improve against formidable opponents in the T20 format.

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