The Indian batting line up had a forgettable outing against Sri Lanka as not only the top order collapse but the likes of KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya too couldn’t make the most of their starts. Gautam Gambhir unleashed attack on the batting line up. Gautam Gambhir pointed out that India needs to find a way to tackle the slow spinners.
The skipper Rohit Sharma would be worried as there were huge expectations from the side after the complete domination against Pakistan in the previous game. Perhaps, the batters need to use their feet against the spinners to disturb the rhythm as the side got a wake up call against the under dogs Sri Lanka.
Whenever the ball grips, India struggles- Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir was having an interaction with Star Sports and said that India’s batting line up has looked clueless against the spinners and said that this is happening quite often. Gautam Gambhir gave the example of the recently concluded Australia ODI series and stated that the batters can’t take the game deep after a setback.
“This is becoming a pattern. You remember that match against Australia in Chennai when the ball was gripping a bit and India were chasing some 260-odd runs against spinners like Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar. And we couldn’t chase it. Whenever the ball grips, we struggle and we don’t even know whether we can take the game deep,” said Gautam Gambhir.
“This is not a 350-run wicket…it’s of 270. Imagine if in 40 overs you are three down for 160 or 170, then when the ball grips, it is very important for the batters to adjust. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul’s were soft dismissals, but rest were beaten by the front foot. Rohit Sharma was beaten by pace, Gill by…that was a brilliant ball. You expect better from Indian batters,” he added.
Shubman Gill could have played defensively- Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir was furious on Indian batters and stated that they should have played on the backfoot rather than playing on the front. Gautam Gambhir pointed out that the batters should have been a bit more cautious against Dunith Wellalage and spinners and said that Shubman Gill should have shown some resistance.
“As a batsman, we often try to play the angle, but if the ball spins from there then things become difficult. If you deliver it closer to the wicket then it becomes easier, but when you deliver it wider from the crease then it becomes difficult. And that is why it is necessary to play it off the backfoot rather than front foot, where both the edges are tested,” said Gautam Gambhir.
“Gill could have defended that ball. You cannot say that it was an unplayable delivery. Look at the bat face, it is towards the leg side… towards mid-on. Against such deliveries, you should always play it towards mid-off or towards the bowler. The moment you go for mid-on you are giving the chance for an outside edge,” he added.