India’s campaign in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 took another hit as the team struggled to recover from a dismal showing in the ongoing third Test match against Australia at The Gabba in Brisbane.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s decision to bowl first proved costly, with Australia piling up a mammoth 445 runs in their first innings, leaving the tourists reeling in the Gabba Test.
Reacting to India’s dismal performance in Australia, former Pakistan batter Basit Ali has added fuel to the fire, hinting at a potential rift between the captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir amidst their poor showing in Brisbane.
Basit Ali hints at Rohit-Gambhir rift amid India’s dismal show in Brisbane
Speculation about a divide in the Indian cricket team’s dressing room has grown louder following India’s embarrassing whitewash at the hands of New Zealand in the home series, 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, might not be on the same page since the former KKR mentor took over as head coach of the Indian cricket team, succeeding World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid, earlier this year.
Indian bowlers, apart from Jasprit Bumrah, failed to put pressure on the Australian batters and even control the flow of runs, as Travis Head and Steve Smith built a match-defining 241-run partnership to put the hosts in a strong position in the ongoing crucial third Test in Brisbane.
Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir are not on the same page: Basit Ali
Bumrah’s six-wicket haul brought some relief, but the damage was already done by Smith and Head—they both have smacked centuries in the ongoing Gabba Test against Australia.
Adding to the Indian team’s woes, Australian pacers then delivered a crushing blow, reducing India to 48/4 in their first innings, further exposing the 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, be it the one-day tournament in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, which was 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, like Rahul Dravid was. He and Rohit were on the same page.”
Basit Ali questions Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin’s exclusion from Gabba Test
With mounting pressure and questions about unity among the leaders, India faces an uphill battle in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 20242-25 in Australia. And former Pakistan cricketer has pointed out that Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin’s absence exposes the rift between Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir on the Australia tour.
He also pointed out that the different spinners have been played on the Australia tour so far. Basit also highlighted how India’s strategy changed in Brisbane, where they opted to bowl first after winning the toss, despite history showing that batting first would always be a big help at The Gabba.
Basit added, “I can explain it very easily. In all three Test matches, a different spinner played. In two Tests matches, they batted after winning the toss, but here they chose to bowl. There are three left-handers in the Australian batting. So why not (Washington) Sundar and why not (Ravichandran) Ashwin? Anybody who understands cricket will definitely talk about it.”
He signed off by saying, “India doesn’t have a left-arm fast bowler in their squad. That’s a weak link. We have seen Mir Hamza or Shaheen Shah Afridi accounting for Head because that’s a different angle. That’s why, if you see, Bumrah bowls round the wicket to Head.”
