India’s campaign in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 was dealt another blow as the team struggled to recover from a dismal performance in the ongoing third Test match against Australia at The Gabba in Brisbane.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s decision to bowl first proved costly as Australia amassed a mammoth 445 runs in their first innings, leaving the tourists reeling in the Gabba Test.
Reacting to India’s dismal performance in Australia, former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali has added fuel to the fire, hinting at a possible rift between captain Rohit Sharma and the head coach. Gautama Gambhir amid his poor performance in Brisbane.
Basit Ali hints at rift between Rohit and Gambhir amid dismal India show in Brisbane
Speculation about a split in the Indian cricket team’s dressing room has grown louder following India’s embarrassing whitewash at the hands of New Zealand at home. seriesand now his inconsistent performances in the 2024-25 BGT have only added fuel to the fire.
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Meanwhile, Basit Ali suggested that the two leaders, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir, might not be on the same page since the former KKR mentor took over as head coach of the Indian cricket team, succeeding the winning coach. Rahul Dravid World Cup, earlier this year. year.
The Indian bowlers, apart from jasprit bumrahfailed to put pressure on the Australian batsmen and even control the flow of runs as Travis Head and Steve Smith put together a match-defining 241-run partnership to put the hosts in a strong position in the crucial third Test underway in Brisbane .
Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir not on the same page: Basit Ali
Bumrah’s six-wicket haul brought some relief, but the damage has already been done by Smith and Head – both have hit centuries in the ongoing Gabba Test against Australia.
Adding to the Indian team’s woes, the Australian pacers delivered a crushing blow, reducing India to 48/4 in their first innings, further exposing the cracks in the team’s strategy and execution.
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Basit Ali said on his YouTube channel: “Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir are not on the same page, be it the one-day tournament in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, which was a weak series, or the New Zealand series after that. . In the second and third (Tests), they (Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir) are not on the same page, like Rahul Dravid was. He and Rohit were on the same page.”
Basit Ali questions exclusion of Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin from Gabba Test
With pressure mounting and doubts over unity among the leaders, India faces an uphill battle in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 20242-25 in Australia. And the former Pakistan cricketer has pointed out that the absence of Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin exposes the gap between Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir on the tour of Australia.
He also noted that the different spinners have been played so far on the Australian tour. Basit also highlighted how India’s strategy changed in Brisbane, where they opted to bowl first after winning the toss, even though history shows that batting first would always be a boon at The Gabba.
Basit added: “I can explain it very easily. In the three test matches, he played a different roulette. In two Test matches, they batted after winning the toss, but here they chose to bowl. There are three left-handers in the Australian batting. So why not (Washington) Sundar and why not (Ravichandran) Ashwin? “Anyone who understands cricket will definitely talk about it.”
He signed off by saying, “India does not have a left-arm fast bowler in their team. That’s a weak link. We have seen Mir Hamza or Shaheen Shah Afridi portraying Head because that is a different angle. That’s why, if you see it, Bumrah lunges towards Head.
