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Cricket PlayersShubman Gill accused of not trusting two of his own players, Ravi Shastri shreds India captain
Shubman Gill's reluctance to bowl Washington Sundar in England's first innings in Manchester drew heavy criticism from former India head coach Ravi Shastri.
It took Shubman Gill 68 overs to throw the ball to Washington Sundar in England's first innings in the fourth Test in Manchester. England were sitting pretty at 306 for two at that stage with Ollie Pope and Joe Root motoring along. Sundar, one of India's two specialist all-rounders playing in this Test, was also India's second spin-bowling option. Sundar was one of India's best bowlers in the second innings at Lord's, picking up four wickets for just 22 runs. But for some strange reason, Gill was heavily reluctant to give him the ball at Old Trafford. This is what angered former India head coach Ravi Shastri.
Shastri hammered Shubman Gill's captaincy, accusing him of not trusting his own players Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar despite his pacers not getting a lot of success. "I feel from Shubhan Gill's point of view, he's got to trust his spinners a little more. We saw Jadeja getting the wicket (On Day 2). We didn't see much of Washington Sundar. If you're playing two spinners, you know, just trust them," Shstri said on commentary.
In the four overs Washington Sundar bowled before Lunch, which Sanjay Manjrekar called a "token," he got good drift, troubling Ollie Pope. He did not get a wicket, but there was enough to suggest that his introduction was late.
Resuming the day at 225 for two, Root (63* off 115 balls) and Pope (71* off 123 balls) stitched together an unbroken 135-run stand that not only neutralised India’s first-innings lead of 26 but also tilted momentum firmly in England's favour.
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The Indian bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah, lacked the incisiveness required to break through the seasoned English pair. Despite the odd delivery keeping low or springing up unexpectedly, the pitch offered little help, and India's attack appeared toothless on a sunny Manchester morning.
Bumrah, usually India's spearhead in testing conditions, was guilty of erring in line, often straying onto the pads. Root took full advantage, flicking a full delivery to the boundary early in the day. Pope, too, was quick to pounce on short-pitched offerings, dispatching Bumrah for a boundary with confidence.
Shastri said India's bowling coach, Morne Morkel, must have spoken with the bowlers about straying down the leg side. "I think it will be the bowling coach. He would have sat them down yesterday because he'd have been disappointed with what he saw, the number of balls pitched on middle and lake, the number of runs scored through square leg," he said.
The problems were compounded by a lack of sustained pressure. Mohammed Siraj and debutant Anshul Kamboj offered the occasional probing delivery, but consistency was missing. Kamboj did manage to create a chance, inducing an edge from Pope when the latter was on 48, but wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel couldn't latch on to what was a tough opportunity.
