Former India opening batter Sadagoppan Ramesh tore into head coach Gautam Gambhir for promoting Harshit Rana ahead of Shivam Dube in the second T20I against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which India ended up losing by four wickets. Fans and pundits were shocked alike when Rana came out to the middle after the loss of Axar Patel's wicket, and the move to send the all-rounder ahead of Dube has raised quite a few questions.
Harshit, who hails from Delhi, did the job for India as he formed a solid partnership with Abhishek Sharma for the sixth wicket. The right-hander scored 35 runs with the help of 3 fours and 1 six before losing his wicket to Xavier Bartlett.
However, Harshit's performance with the ball left much to be desired as he leaked 27 runs in two overs as Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head took a special liking to him inside the powerplay.
Speaking about Rana's promotion ahead of Dube, Ramesh on his Instagram handle said, "Someone who cooks well can't be made a driver, and a good driver can't become the cook. Likewise, management should focus on each player's strengths and primary role in the team, aiming to maximise their performance in that role. If they do something extra, that's well and good."
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“But their secondary skill should not become the primary role, and I fear that's happening in this Indian team. A bowler who can bat needs to deliver with the ball first, and likewise, a batter who can bat must deliver with the ball first. The management needs to be clear on this. That's where India are slipping right now,” he added.
‘Stop playing musical chairs’
{{/usCountry}}“But their secondary skill should not become the primary role, and I fear that's happening in this Indian team. A bowler who can bat needs to deliver with the ball first, and likewise, a batter who can bat must deliver with the ball first. The management needs to be clear on this. That's where India are slipping right now,” he added.
‘Stop playing musical chairs’
{{/usCountry}}In the second T20I against Australia, India also promoted Sanju Samson ahead of skipper Suryakumar Yadav as he came out to bat at No.3. However, the right-hander failed to leave an impression, going back to the hut after scoring just 2 runs.
Ramesh has now advised the current management to stop playing musical chairs with the batting order.
“India needs to stop playing musical chairs with their batting order. They would have had a great chance of winning if they had scored 160 to 170. Didn't Suryakumar Yadav play well at No. 3 in the last match? He was not out as well. Then why send Sanju Samson at No. 3,” asked Ramesh.
“He went from opening to No. 5 and now from 5 to 3. Because of this everyone is looking at each other in confusion on who might go in to bat next. Tilak Varma won India the Asia Cup final at No. 4 and you moved him to No. 5,” he added.