Team India’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, led by new Head Coach Gautam Gambhir, started on a high note with a 3-0 T20I series sweep. However, the ODI series was a different story, as Sri Lanka emerged victorious 2-0, with one match ending in a tie. Despite the T20I success, India struggled in the 50-over format, resulting in a disappointing series loss. The contrast between the formats highlighted challenges in maintaining consistent performance across different formats.
Aakash Chopra Shared His Insights:
Following the disappointing ODI series, both Head Coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma have faced criticism for their unconventional strategies, particularly concerning the batting order. Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has spotlighted these tactics, suggesting that the experimental approach may have contributed to the team’s struggles. The criticism underscores concerns about how these decisions impacted the team’s performance during the series.
In the T20I series, Riyan Parag, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rinku Singh contributed significantly with their bowling, securing important breakthroughs for the team. Their performance, particularly when Suryakumar and Rinku defended nine runs off 12 balls, earned praise for Head Coach Gautam Gambhir’s focus on developing all-rounders.
In the World Cup 2023, Rahul primarily batted at number five and was absent from the team until the Sri Lanka series. Washington Sundar, who scored five runs in the first ODI, was promoted to number four. In the second ODI, Shivam Dube, also batting at four, was out for a duck. Rishabh Pant took the position in the third ODI but was dismissed for six runs, contributing to India’s series loss.
However, the team’s inconsistent number four position in the ODI batting lineup has led Aakash Chopra to criticize the management following the series’ loss.
He said, “ No.4 has become a revolving door as we had a different No.4 in every game. Why do you need to push someone like KL Rahul down to No.6-7? Why don’t you fight from the front? India played KL Rahul for two games and then dropped him. It is interesting to think whether he is in their plans because from 2023 no one in the middle order has scored as many runs as him.”
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