India’s seven-wicket drubbing in opposition to Australia within the rain-affected first ODI at Optus Stadium, Perth, on October 19, has positioned new ODI captain Shubman Gill beneath quick scrutiny. The match, lowered to 26 overs per facet, noticed the Indian batting lineup falter dramatically, highlighted by the transient and disappointing return of veterans Rohit Sharma (8) and Virat Kohli (0). India managed solely 136/9, and Australia comfortably chased the revised DLS goal of 131 in simply 21.1 overs, led by Mitchell Marsh‘s unbeaten 46.
The excellent defeat, which ended India’s eight-match ODI profitable streak in 2025, prompted former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif to unleash pointed criticism directed not on the rain or the shortage of runs, however at Gill’s tactical decision-making, particularly in regards to the bowling assault on his YouTube channel.
Mohammad Kaif factors out captaincy flaws in Shubman Gill after India’s defeat
Kaif firmly believes the workforce choice betrayed a elementary misunderstanding of white-ball cricket necessities, notably in a match shortened by rain. The critique targeted closely on the choice to bench star wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, India’s main wicket-taker within the current Asia Cup, in favour of bolstering the batting depth by way of all-rounders Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Kaif argued that this amounted to picking “amount over high quality“. The end result demonstrated the flaw on this technique: whereas the decrease order (KL Rahul 38, Axar Patel 31) offered some late resistance, the ultimate rating was insufficient. In a brief format just like the 26-over contest, defensive containment—the first function of finger spinners like Axar and Sundar—is much less efficient than strike energy. India desperately wanted a specialist able to taking a number of wickets rapidly to defend the paltry goal.
The inadequacy of the assault was laid naked throughout Australia’s chase. Kaif labelled Reddy “not an entire bowler,” and quick bowler Harshit Rana conceded 27 runs in 4 overs with out taking a wicket. Crucially, Australian spinner Matthew Kuhnemann managed to safe two wickets, confirming that the pitch did provide help for spin when deployed aggressively.
“On this workforce there have been many part-time bowers. Nitish Reddy is just not an entire bowler. On such a pitch even Sundar is just not an entire bowler. Harshit Rana could be disillusioned together with his bowling. It was the bowlers’ duty to win this recreation. I do know it was a low rating. However when will you win video games as bowlers then? Will you win solely with Bumrah and Shami?” Kaif questioned.
Specialists like Ravichandran Ashwin supported Kaif’s stance, noting that Kuldeep, a spinner who thrives on bounce, was completely suited to Optus Stadium’s giant boundaries and lamented the inflexible choice coverage favouring all-rounders. The administration’s give attention to batting depth didn’t compensate for the top-order collapse and concurrently compromised the workforce’s potential to defend the low whole by counting on non-specialist bowling choices.
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Gill’s management beneath scrutiny in Perth
Kaif framed the match as “a check of Gill as captain too,” one he judged the younger chief to have failed. Though Gill blamed the top-order’s early failure—India was 25/3 by the ninth over—for placing the workforce on the again foot , the following defensive bowling deployment pointed to a systemic lack of aggressive tactical planning.
Compounding the stress on Gill was the extremely seen area presence of Kohli. Regardless of relinquishing the captaincy, Kohli was repeatedly seen motivating bowlers and interesting Gill in discussions relating to particular area placements, demonstrating the immense affect the senior statesman continues to wield over tactical selections on the sphere. This dynamic means that whereas Gill holds the title, the general tactical route in high-pressure eventualities stays closely influenced by established veterans.
The primary ODI loss provides Gill to an undesirable checklist of Indian captains who misplaced their debut match throughout codecs. The defeat serves as a pivotal second for the brand new management period. The central mandate for Gill and the workforce administration, probably guided by Head Coach Gautam Gambhir‘s identified philosophy of prioritising depth , is now to stability strategic planning for the 2027 World Cup with quick match-winning necessities.
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