Old Indian ship Hanuma Vihari questioned Shubman Gill’s captaincy after India’s 27-run defeat of England in the third ODI at Lord’s, criticizing the team’s decision to field just five bowling options in the series decider.India suffered a heartbreaking defeat as England posted a record 387/3, the highest ODI total at Lord’s, before the visitors fell short despite Rohit Sharma’s brilliant century. With Jasprit Bumrah ruled out with a knee injury, India went into the match with four specialist pacers and Axar Patel as the lone spinner, leaving Gill without a sixth bowling option. The inexperienced attack struggled to contain England’s batsmen, with Ben Duckett’s 141 and Jacob Bethell’s 91 powering the hosts to a daunting total.
Hanuma Vihari questions Gill’s bowling management
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Vihari felt that Gill struggled to rotate his bowlers due to the lack of an additional bowling option.“Having only five bowlers in the last ODI, he (Gill) was struggling with his bowling changes. When everyone was hit, not having a sixth option became a concern for him, You also know how to handle things when this option is not there. Whether it is the field placement or the bowling changes, I feel he will improve. He has a lot to improve, his captaincy is better, but the captaincy is better. they will not come”, said Hanuma Vihari.
Vihari puzzled by Kuldeep Yadav’s omission
Vihari also questioned the decision to leave wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav out of the playing XI, arguing that India should prioritize experienced match-winners in the build-up to the ODI World Cup.“Why was Kuldeep left out? That’s something I can’t understand. Going with youth in T20s is always good, but in ODIs you have to go with experience. Watching the IPL, you feel that there are a lot of new players, but the match winners are very few, and you have to pick those match winners. If winning the World Cup is your goal, you have to get back those who knew the players, and win as they know each other. concludedThis was India’s first ODI series loss against England since 2018.