Former Indian cricketer and world cup hero Gautam Gambhir slammed Virat Kohli for making a ‘tactical blunder that no other skipper in the world would have committed. He also warned that Steve Smith’s current form can be bad news for the Men in Blue.
Well, during the second ODI, team India’s bowlers were smashed to cleaners. However, a few decisions of Kohli backfired for the team. He removed talisman Jasprit Bumrah from the attack just after two months and instead he opted to replace Bumrah with Navdeep Saini. The decision backfired and both David Warner and Aaron Finch got their eye in when Bumrah was brought back into the attack and both went on to strung together yet another hundred-run stand.
Talking about the same decision, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir slammed the Indian skipper’s tactics. He questioned the decision to pull Bumrah for only 2 overs and stated that there is no other skipper, who would commit such a mistake. He said:
“Leadership is important. The tactical mistakes that were made are equally important as well. You’re over-dependent on Bumrah and Shami, but if you’re going to give Bumrah just two overs up-front, then where are you going to get your wickets from?”
He added:
“He is by far one of the best fast bowlers going around in world cricket, and you end up giving him two overs. And we’ve always maintained that Australians are top heavy. All three top order batsmen are in great form, so you’ve got to strike early.”
“But if Bumrah only bowls two overs upfront…. It amazes me, it’s not a tactical error; it’s a blunder. I don’t think any other captain in world cricket would bowl Bumrah for just two overs with the new ball in Australia.”
An interesting twist in the scene has been the IPL flops of the Australians, who are now seen in some impeccable form, including the likes of Maxwell, Smith and Finch. Talking about the same, he claimed that one can’t have the IPL hangover. He said:
“You can’t have an IPL hangover. There are a lot of Australian players who were in the IPL as well. When you’re playing for your country, there are no excuses.”
Furthermore, Gambhir warned team India of the indomitable form of Steve Smith. He said:
