Sunil Gavaskar delivered a sharp and uncompromising verdict on India’s stunning ODI series defeat to New Zealand, pinpointing the batters’ repeated failure to provide strong starts as the defining flaw. The former India captain urged the current generation to take cues from Virat Kohli, whose ability to pace an innings under pressure once again stood out despite the team’s collapse.

India suffered a 41-run defeat in the third ODI in Indore while chasing a challenging target of 338, sealing their first-ever home ODI series loss to New Zealand. While Kohli produced a masterclass with a lone 124 off 108 balls, the lack of support from the rest of the batting line-up proved costly. Sunil Gavaskar, speaking on JioStar, made it clear that Kohli’s effort deserved far more backing.

“Unless Virat Kohli got substantial support, it was always going to be difficult, and he got very little of it,” Sunil Gavaskar said. He stressed that India’s problems weren’t limited to a single match, but were a recurring theme throughout the series.

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According to Gavaskar, the inability to convert starts into meaningful partnerships consistently put India on the back foot. “The real problem for India throughout the series has been the starts. As they say, well begun is half done,” he remarked. He added that India’s top order repeatedly failed to set a platform, leaving the middle order under immense pressure during steep chases.

The situation worsened in Indore when India slumped to 159 for five, a phase Sunil Gavaskar described as the turning point. Losing set batters at crucial moments made the task almost impossible. He pointed to the fall of KL Rahul and the reliance on relatively inexperienced players as a major setback.

“When you lose someone in good form like KL Rahul, and then you’re depending on players still finding their feet, it becomes an uphill climb,” he explained.

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Gavaskar reserved special praise for Kohli’s mindset, urging younger batters to learn from his clarity of purpose. “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. He highlighted Kohli’s refusal to give up, even as wickets fell around him.

He also acknowledged Harshit Rana’s fighting lower-order half-century, calling it one of the few positives on an otherwise disappointing night. According to Gavaskar, Rana’s fearless approach showed how players can contribute by staying in the moment and embracing their role without overthinking.