Shubman Gill’s first game as India’s ODI captain didn’t quite go to script as the visitors stumbled to a seven-wicket defeat against Australia in a rain-curtailed match in Perth on Sunday.
While intermittent showers made conditions tricky, the result laid bare India’s deeper issues -- a fragile batting order and a bowling attack that lacked direction.
Questions flew thick and fast after Kuldeep Yadav’s exclusion from the Playing XI. The team management’s decision to back Washington Sundar for his batting depth over Kuldeep’s proven wicket-taking ability drew sharp criticism.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif didn’t hold back, tearing into the bowling combination. He said India’s over-reliance on part-timers was proving costly, with the likes of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Sundar struggling to make inroads on a surface that offered some help.
'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. Harshit Rana would be disappointed too. You can’t expect to win only when Bumrah or Shami are playing,' Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
India could muster only 136 for 9 in 26 overs before rain intervened. The DLS adjustment handed Australia a revised target of 131, which they chased down comfortably in 21.1 overs. Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar picked up a wicket each, while KL Rahul (38), Axar (31) and Nitish Reddy (19*) offered brief resistance with the bat.
Kaif also questioned Gill’s tactical choices on debut, especially the call to leave out Kuldeep -- a bowler capable of turning games in Australia’s own backyard.
'It was a test of Gill as captain too. He didn’t pick Kuldeep, a genuine wicket-taker. 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 observed.
Ex India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes India should find a way to slot Kuldeep into the playing XI.
'Can team India find a way to get Kuldeep Yadav in the playing 11 for the next game? Think they should,' he wrote on X.
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