Photo via Wisden

Sunil Gavaskar blames dropped catch on 'urge to make it look a lot better than it was'

India’s Sunil Gavaskar criticized Mayank Yadav’s dropped catch during a high-stakes T20I chase, suggesting the fielder’s attempt to dramatize the moment led to a loss of balance. With West Indies needing 250 to win, openers Shai Hope and Rovman Powell had accelerated the scoring, adding 63 runs off 29 balls before Kuldeep Yadav created a chance in the 10th over.

Rutherford mistimed a shot, directing the ball straight toward Yadav, who failed to secure an otherwise straightforward catch. Gavaskar, commentating for the match, argued that Yadav’s tendency to exaggerate catches by falling over disrupted his focus, turning a simple opportunity into a missed chance.

Rutherford capitalized immediately, smashing two consecutive sixes to reach his half-century, though Kuldeep later dismissed him with a sharp edge off a wide delivery. Despite the setback, Rutherford’s aggressive 84 off 37 balls (including seven sixes) kept West Indies in the hunt, while Hope’s unbeaten 102 off 45 balls anchored their chase of the second-highest T20I total in history.

Romario Shepherd contributed 34 off 13 balls as West Indies crossed the line with nine balls and six wickets remaining, leveling the five-match series. Yadav, who had earlier taken two quick wickets in his first over, finished with figures of 3-36 from his three overs, including a 149.5 km/h delivery that broke through Powell’s defense.

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