India’s campaign in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 has suffered another blow as the team struggled to recover from its poor performance in the ongoing third Test match against Australia at The Gabba in Brisbane.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s cup decision proved costly for the first time as Australia piled up a mammoth 445 runs in their first innings to shock the tourists in the Gabba Test.
Reacting to India’s dismal performance in Australia, former Pakistan all-rounder Basit Ali added fuel to the fire by hinting at a potential rift between captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir during their poor performances in Brisbane.
Basit Ali alludes to the Rohit-Gambhir rift during India’s dismal show in Brisbane
Speculations of a split in the Indian cricket team’s dressing room have intensified after India’s humiliating home series whitewash against New Zealand and now their inconsistent performances in the BGT 2024-25 have only added fuel to the fire.
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Meanwhile, Basit Ali suggested that the two leaders, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir, may not be on the same page as the former KKR mentor has taken over as the head coach of the Indian cricket team, succeeding earlier World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid. year
Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian bowlers failed to put pressure on the Australian batsmen or even control the run flow as Travis Head and Steve Smith put on a 241-run partnership to put the hosts in a strong position in the ongoing contest. An important third Test in Brisbane.
Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir not on the same page: Basit Ali
Bumrah’s six-wicket brought some relief, but the damage had already been done by Smith and Head – both of whom hit centuries in the ongoing Gabba Test against Australia.
Adding to the Indian team’s woes, the Australian pacers struck a crushing blow, reducing India to 48/4 in the first innings, further exposing cracks in the team’s strategy and execution.
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Basit Ali said on his YouTube channel, “Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir are not on the same page, whether it’s a one-day tournament in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, a weak series or the New Zealand series after that. In the second and third (Tests), they (Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir) are not on the same page as Rahul Dravid. He and Rohit were of the same mind.”
Basit Ali questions Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin’s exclusion from the Gabba Test
With pressure mounting and questions about unity among the leaders, India face an uphill battle in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 20242-25 in Australia. The former Pakistan cricketer pointed out that the absence of Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin made the difference between Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir in the tour of Australia.
He also mentioned that different spinners have been played in the Australian tour so far. Basit also highlighted how India’s strategy changed in Brisbane, where they opted to bat first after winning the toss, although history has shown batting first will always be a big help at The Gabba.
Basit added: “I can explain it very easily. He played a different spinner in all three Test matches. In the two Test matches, they batted after winning the toss but opted to bowl here. There are three left-handers in the Australian batting. So why not (Washington) Sundar and why not (Ravichandran) Ashwin? Everyone who understands cricket will definitely talk about it.”
He said, “There is no left-arm fast bowler in India’s squad. This is a weak link. We’ve seen Mir Hamzai or Shaheen Shah Afridi settle for Head because it’s a different angle. That’s why, if you see, Bumrah bowls the wicket to Bash.”
