New Delhi: Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar believes India missed a strategic trick by giving wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav the 17th over instead of turning to pacers Mayank Yadav or Arshdeep Singh during the second T20I against the West Indies in Ranchi.

The visitors comfortably overhauled India’s massive target of 250 with six wickets and nine balls to spare, levelling the five-match series 1-1.

The match swung decisively in the 17th over, where Kuldeep surrendered 24 runs — including three sixes, a boundary, and a wide. Although Arshdeep took the 18th over, he was unable to stem the momentum, leaking 17 runs to Shai Hope and Romario Shepherd. West Indies sealed the win in the 19th over by taking Axar Patel for two sixes.

Gavaskar emphasised that Mayank, who still had an over remaining after breaking the West Indies' top order with figures of 3 for 24 early on, should have been entrusted with the ball.

"Definitely! I would have gone with either Arshdeep or Mayank (in the 17th over). Yes, Arshdeep went for plenty in his final over (18th over), but Mayank had struck the early blows. Of the wickets that had fallen, he had taken three," Gavaskar told JioStar.

"His (Mayank) economy rate was about 12 an over, and at that stage, the West Indies needed more than that. So, if he had taken a wicket, and sometimes when the game is going in your favour, who knows, you would have got a wicket even if it had not been off a great delivery," added Gavaskar.

Gavaskar noted that another breakthrough at that point would have put the chasing side under immense pressure.

"And once you get a wicket, suddenly, the opposition is on the back foot. A new batter has to come in. So, maybe that (bringing in Mayank) could have been tried. For me, I think giving Shivam Dube the ball in that ninth over was not exactly what was required at that stage. When the batters were still trying to get their eye in, maybe Kuldeep coming in would have been a better idea," Gavaskar said pointing out another possible bowling change for criticism.

Meanwhile, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal expressed sympathy for the bowlers, criticising the growing trend of flat pitches, small boundaries, and rules that favor heavy scoring.

"On such wickets, there's nothing for the bowlers. When the ball gets old, there's dew, the ball comes nicely onto the bat, and the grounds are getting smaller. We've seen this in the IPL as well, with 260 being chased in 19 overs. In this game too, 250 got chased down easily in 18.3 overs," said Chahal.

"So, what should bowlers do? What is the use of their skill? I feel for them, because I am a bowler too and when I bowl in the IPL, on small grounds with flat wickets, you have an Impact Player as well. Earlier, when the Impact Player rule was not there, you used to see 50 runs in six overs, and 170-180 was a fighting total," he said.

"But these days, 70-80 runs are scored in the first six overs, and the game is done there itself. So, either you have to have something for the bowlers in the wicket, or else just install a bowling machine," he added. (PTI)