Saba Karim said that he understood the thinking behind the move from the captain Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir, as a similar move was tried during the T20Is, with Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh bowling. However, he felt the decision didn’t work for India.

Speaking to Sony Sports Network, Saba Karim said: “The thinking was the same as Asalanka introducing himself in the attack for Sri Lanka or what India tried in T20Is with Suryakumar Yadav giving the responsibility to Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh and even himself to bowl. But again, this was the first time Gill was bowling in international cricket, and his over turned out to be quite expensive and Sri Lanka, subsequently grabbed the momentum.”

However, Karim also said that a better alternative would have been to give Shivam Dube a few more overs as well. The medium-pace bowler bowled four overs and claimed a wicket, conceding just 19 runs.

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“India needed an extra spin option on this ground, given the conditions. Maybe India could have gone with Dube for a few more overs, and since they did not go that way, Gill was tried, and it did not prove to be the right decision,” he added.

Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja also backed Saba Karim’s opinion on Team India asking Shubman Gill to bowl. Jadeja highlighted how Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh bowled when the T20I match seemed out of India’s grasp, while the first ODI
was in India’s control when Gill’s over backfired.

“That day, it was understandable because when Rinku came to bowl, it was a lost cause for India. But today, when India were in control of the situation, they shouldn’t have let go of it. You can always try newer options, but either when you are in complete control of the match or when it’s a lost cause. But again, without experiments, you cannot find new things,” he added.