You want to be the champions – Sunil Gavaskar’s important message for Team India

Team India has been in the midst of a dream run where they have secured eight wins from the eight games that they have played in the group stages of the ongoing World Cup with their latest victory coming against South Africa. Not only have India produced rip-roaring consistency but they have also stunned juggernauts of the game in sizzling fashion.

They will be playing their final game in the group stages where they will be facing Netherlands in a dead rubber. However, former Indian captain, Sunil Gavaskar issued a warning to the Indian cricket team just to ensure that they are in the same headspace like the last three group stage fixtures before they head into the semis.

The Orange Army has already stunned a couple of strong sides with victories against South Africa and Bangladesh. They have shown it to the world that if they are taken lightly, they can very well be the party pooper that you would not want in your way, particularly ahead of a knock-out game.

Talking to Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “You want to be the champions, you want to make sure that you win big. You want to show that you are the best team in the competition by a long distance, and that's exactly what the Indian team is doing at the moment. There is a match against the Netherlands which might be inconsequential because India is only now number one. But they don't want to stumble anywhere once it comes to the knock-out stages.”

He further added, “The whole temperament, your whole mental attitude towards the match will change because in the group stage you always think, Oh, there's another match to come. But there is no next day if you have a bad day in the knockouts. So you want to get into that winning rhythm. You want to get into that winning mentality, and that's what the Indian team is doing.”