Gautam Gambhir, Shubman Gill Questioned For Dropping ‘Match-Winner’ In 1st ODI vs Australia
India vs Australia: India captain Shubman Gill with Shreyas Iyer© AFP
The one selection call that caught everyone’s attention after India’s loss to Australia in the first ODI in Perth on Sunday was the omission of Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm wrist-spinner was India’s best bowler in the recently concluded India vs West Indies Test series. On the large grounds of Australia, several experts backed him to do well. However, India opted for all-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar instead, which meant Kuldeep had to sit out.
Krishnamachari Srikkanth, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, did not agree with the decision at all.
“Who gave them crucial breakthroughs apart from Starc and Hazlewood? It was Kuhnemann. Axar also took an important wicket for us. The spinners had done a good job – they will always do a better job. Wrist-spinners are potential match-winners. I did not understand the logic behind dropping Kuldeep. I would still play Kuldeep, Washington, and Axar. Spinners will do a better job in these conditions than medium pacers,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
“He’s been bowling so well in Tests, and he bowled brilliantly in the Asia Cup. He’s performed well in T20 cricket, and then you say things like, ‘On Australian wickets, the ball doesn’t turn, so we’re not playing Kuldeep Yadav.’ That’s a dangerous statement, and I don’t understand it.”
“Forget the combination and the eight batters. Go for the best players and the best team. How many runs can a No. 8 batter get you anyway? Forget seven or eight batters – Kuldeep just has to play. In any other team, he would walk straight in. It’s very sad.”
India will next play Australia in the second ODI in Adelaide on Thursday.
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