IND vs AUS | No captain in the world would have given Bumrah just two overs upfront, says Gautam Gambhir
Gambhir has slammed Kohli for his captaincy
|BCCI
Gautam Gambhir has slammed Virat Kohli for underusing Jasprit Bumrah in the powerplay and has stated that the Indian skipper made a âtactical blunderâ that no other captain in the world would have committed. Gambhir further warned that Smithâs form could spell bad news for the Indian bowlers.
India were inserted into a bowl on a hot afternoon in Sydney, but it only took skipper Virat Kohli all of four overs to make an interesting yet bizarre tactical decision. Kohli removed talisman Jasprit Bumrah from the attack after just two overs, and instead opted to replace him with Navdeep Saini, and the decision backfired as apart from Saini getting pasted, both Warner and Finch got their eye in when Bumrah was brought back into the attack in the 9th over. The bizarre tactical move backfired as Warner and Finch strung together yet another hundred-run stand, which Smith & Co. capitalized on to pile misery on the visitors.
Reflecting on the 2nd ODI, and Kohliâs captaincy, former Indian skipper Gautam Gambhir slammed Kohli for his tactics and came down hard on him for his blunders. Gambhir questioned the weird decision to pull Bumrah out of the attack after just two overs and stated that there is no other captain in the world who would make such a miscalculated, uncalled-for change.
âLeadership is important. The tactical mistakes that were made are equally important as well. Youâre over-dependent on Bumrah and Shami, but if youâre going to give Bumrah just two overs up-front, then where are you going to get your wickets from?,â Gambhir said on ESPN Cricinfoâs post match show.
âHe is by far one of the best fast bowlers going around in world cricket, and you end up giving him two overs. And weâve always maintained that Australians are top heavy. All three top order batsmen are in great form, so youâve got to strike early.
âBut if Bumrah only bowls two overs upfrontâŚ. It amazes me, itâs not a tactical error; itâs a blunder. I donât think any other captain in world cricket would bowl Bumrah for just two overs with the new ball in Australia.â
An interesting narrative in this series has been the IPL flops of Australia turning up for the nation, and the Indian IPL hits failing to hit the ground running. There have been fears of a potential IPL hangover for the tourists but Gambhir slammed the people justifying Indiaâs rust and claimed that no player can have excuses when representing the nation.
âYou canât have an IPL hangover. There are a lot of Australian players who were in the IPL as well. When youâre playing for your country, there are no excuses.â
On Sunday, Smith raced off to his second consecutive 62-ball century, nonchalantly dismantling the Indian bowlers without breaking a sweat. While the limited-over games were expected to be his âweak pointâ, they have, instead, turned out to be a warning sign for Indians heading into the Tests, where Smith is the number one ranked batsman in the world. Gambhir noted that the signs for the visitors are ominous and claimed that they could be in for a âlong summerâ, taking into consideration the indomitable form of Steve Smith.
âIndian bowlers will be wary of Steve Smith. If he gets in, in Test cricket, itâs going to be a long, long summer for Indian bowlers. The task is cut out for the Indian fast bowlers and Iâm sure the way Steve Smith has started, getting him out is going to be a huge concern.â
