Shubman Gill’s tactics and selections have been questioned by former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif. Since the England tour, many have asked questions about his defensive ways. The critics aren’t talking about his batting but his leadership ways.
The same happened in the India vs Australia 1st ODI. Kaif highlighted how India went all-in on all-rounders, which meant that they had to use Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy for 20 overs. That didn’t happen due to rain, but the combination just wasn’t right.
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He criticised the fast bowler, who didn’t look the part. Fascinatingly, Harshit Rana bowled the best but couldn’t take a wicket. Neither Mohammed Siraj nor Arshdeep Singh stepped up. Kaif asked a valid question about who India’s leader of the pack will be if Mohammed Shami or Jasprit Bumrah aren’t playing.
“In this team, there were too many part-time options. Nitish Reddy is not a complete bowler, and even Sundar struggled to make an impact on this pitch. Harshit Rana would be disappointed, too. The bowlers had a chance to turn the game around, even with a low total. But when will they take that responsibility? You can’t expect to win only when Bumrah or Shami are playing,” Kaif remarked.
Kuldeep Yadav’s exclusion questioned
Kaif thinks Gill failed the captaincy test in Perth. Kuldeep Yadav, who was India’s best bowler in the Asia Cup and the India vs West Indies Test series, wasn’t picked. He’s perhaps the only genuine wicket-taker for India in the middle overs (10 to 40), but he wasn’t picked to accommodate more batting. Kuldeep was likened to Shane Warne by Kaif to highlight that the all-time great Australian team always backed their best spinner, irrespective of the conditions.
“It was a test of Gill as captain, too. He didn’t pick Kuldeep, a genuine wicket-taker. You tried to cover every base but missed the key element. Shane Warne thrived in Australia across formats. I was disappointed Kuldeep didn’t play. Kuhnemann got two wickets, and by leaving Kuldeep out, India chose quantity over quality,” Kaif said.
