India’s poor show in white-ball cricket continued as they faced a 2-1 series defeat to England in the ODIs, following a 4-0 whitewash in the T20I series as well. This came after they were also clean-swept 2-0 by Ireland. The ODI series defeat was Team India’s third defeat in the 50-over format as well.
Speaking about Gill’s captaincy, Vihari said, “Having just five bowlers in the last ODI, he (Gill) was struggling with his bowling changes. When everyone was getting hit, not having a sixth option became a concern for him,” he said on his YouTube channel. “You should also know how to handle things when this option is not there. Whether it is field placement or bowling changes, I feel he has to improve. He has a lot to improve in captaincy. His batting is outstanding, but he has to get better as captain because the results are not coming.”
READ HERE: Shubman Gill Breaks Silence On ODI Futures Of Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli
Hanuma Vihari also questioned Team India’s decision to leave out wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav for the entire series as well. On a dry surface at Lord’s, where England spinner Jacob Bethell turned the game, Kuldeep’s exclusion proved costly for India as well.
“Why was Kuldeep left out? It is something that I cannot understand. Going with youth in T20s is still fine, but here you have to go with experience. India have so many such players. Seeing the IPL, you feel there are many new players, but match-winners are very few, and you have to pick those match-winners. If you have winning the World Cup in mind, you will pick experienced players and those who know how to win games,” he said.
Vihari called Kuldeep’s exclusion a “shocker” and questioned how the selectors would pick him for the 2027 ODI World Cup if he continues to warm the bench. “Lord’s is a slow wicket. On that wicket, you played four fast bowlers and did not play Kuldeep. It was a shocker. If you take him in the team but don’t give him a chance in a series like this, how will you pick him for the World Cup? This is a question everyone has to ask after losing a series like this,” he concluded.
