New Delhi: Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali has criticized the Indian team management amid the ongoing third Test against Australia. Basit suggested that head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma are not on the same page. Rohit’s leadership has faced intense scrutiny following India’s heavy defeat in the Adelaide pink-ball Test last week, along with the team’s underwhelming performance in the third Test in Brisbane. Analyzing India’s struggles in both Adelaide and Brisbane, Basit claimed there appears to be a difference of opinion between the captain and the coach.
“Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir are not on the same page, be it the one-day tournament in Sri Lanka; Bangladesh, which was a weak series; or the New Zealand series after that. In the second and third (Tests), they (Rohit and Gambhir) are not on the same page, like Rahul Dravid was. He and Rohit were not on the same page,” Basit said on his YouTube channel.
Basit also criticised veteran spinner Ravindra Jadeja’s inclusion in the team for the ongoing Test, questioning the logic behind the same.
“I can explain it very easily. In all three Test matches, a different spinner played. In two Test matches, they batted after winning the toss, but here they chose to bowl. There are three left-handers in the Australian batting lineup… So why not Washington Sundar or Ravichandran Ashwin? Anyone who understands cricket will definitely talk about this,” he added.
Basit also pointed out India’s over-reliance on Bumrah and the lack of left-arm pace bowlers as key factors behind the team’s struggles to counter Travis Head’s onslaught.
“Was the decision to bowl first right? I don’t think so. The Indian team is overly dependent on Bumrah. The rest of the bowlers aren’t performing as they should. If I say it’s Bumrah vs Australia, that would be accurate. Similarly, it’s Travis Head vs India. Neither Rohit, nor (bowling coach) Morne Morkel, nor (chief coach) Gautam Gambhir have been able to solve this problem.
“India doesn’t have a left-arm fast bowler in their squad, which is a weak link. We’ve seen bowlers like Mir Hamza or Shaheen Shah Afridi dismiss Head because of the different angle they bring. That’s why Bumrah bowls round the wicket to Head,” Basit further noted.
