The entire Team India support staff, headed by chief coach Gautam Gambhir, were seen in a discussion after the side’s loss to Australia by two wickets in the second ODI in Adelaide on Thursday, which also cost them the series.
A series defeat with a game to spare may lead to such serious discussions. And in Team India’s case, they have suffered yet another series defeat Down Under in less than a year following last season’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Obviously, Shubman Gill’s first series as ODI captain has got off to an inauspicious start as Australia didn’t have to break much sweat — barring a mini-collapse towards the end on Thursday — to win both the games. With the bat, too, the skipper failed to contribute on both occasions.
The questions, however, need to be put forward to the entire team management for certain decisions that were again baffling. In Perth, the batting collapse was the actual reason behind India’s loss. But in brighter conditions at the Adelaide Oval, India continued with three all-rounders in the XI when they should have had another specialist bowler.
Former captain Rohit Sharma during his 97-ball 73 at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday. Getty Images
Yes, Axar Patel again played his part with another important contribution of 44 off 41 balls, going in at No.5. Washington Sundar did strike twice with his off-spin, but with the bat, he managed just 12 runs.
To talk about Nitish Kumar Reddy, he got just eight with the bat before being foxed by leg-spinner Adam Zampa (4/60) and was then taken for 24 from his three overs of toothless seam bowling.
As the game progressed, the pitch appeared a tad two-paced, which even troubled Travis Head, Matthew Short (74) and Mitch Owen (36) even after they were well set. Despite such a surface, Kuldeep Yadav was benched yet again.
The ease with which young left-hander Cooper Connolly (61 not out) and Owen played the strokes during their match-turning 59-run sixth-wicket stand may not have happened before Kuldeep’s wrong’un, top-spin and straighter delivery.
Sloppy fielding was also an issue. Short was dropped twice, on 23 and 55.
Batting conundrums
Rohit Sharma, though, had a much better day after India were put into bat. After a watchful start, he swivelled for a couple of sixes in the 19th over bowled by Owen
to get into his groove and finish as India’s top scorer with 73, also stitching a vital 118-run partnership with vice-captain Shreyas Iyer (61).
But the middle-order collapse triggered by Zampa then undid Rohit and Shreyas’ hard work till Harshit Rana’s 24 off 18 balls dragged the total past 260.
However, what will be a worry for India is Virat Kohli remaining runless. And this time, it was a shaping-in delivery that trapped him LBW. The manner of Kohli’s dismissal clearly suggested a lack of match practice.