Basit Ali, a former Pakistan batsman, has criticized the Indian team’s management during the ongoing third Test against Australia. Basit said that head coach Gautam Gambler and captain Rohit Sharma do not agree. Rohit’s leadership has come under fire following India’s crushing defeat in the Adelaide pink-ball Test last week and the dismal performance thus far in the third Test in Brisbane. While analyzing India’s performance in the Adelaide and Brisbane Tests, Basit asserted that the captain and coach have differing opinions.
Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir are at odds, whether it’s the one-day event in Sri Lanka, the shaky series against Bangladesh, or the subsequent series against New Zealand.
In the second and third tests, they (Rohit and gambling) were not on the same page, as Rahul Dravid was. “He and Rohit were not on the same page,” Basit explained on his YouTube channel. Basit also questioned senior spinner Ravindra Jadeja’s selection of the lineup for the current test.
“I can describe it very well. Each of the three Test matches featured a different spinner. After winning the toss in two previous Tests, they batted but decided to bowl in this one. The Australian batting lineup includes three left-handers…So, why not Washington Sundar or Ravichandran Ashwin? Anybody who understands cricket would undoubtedly discuss it,” he continued.
Basit also cited India’s over-reliance on Bumrah and a dearth of left-arm pace bowling alternatives as contributing causes to the team’s troubles against Travis Head’s onslaught.
“Was the decision to bowl first correct? I believe it was not. The Indian team is solely dependent on Bumrah. The remaining bowlers are not performing as expected. If I say Bumrah vs Australia, I will be correct. Similarly, it’s Travis Head versus India…Neither Rohit nor (bowling teacher) Morne Morkel or (head coach) Gautam Gambhir can address this problem. We’ve seen Mir Abbas or Shaheen Shah a account for Head from a different angle.