Gautam Gambhir feels India skipper Virat Kohli committed a tactical blunder that no other captain would by giving his premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah just a two-over opening spell in the series-conceding second ODI loss to Australia in Sydney on Sunday.
The former India opener, who has been pretty critical of Kohli’s tactical acumen as captain, felt that the difference between the two sides so far was how Australian captain Aaron Finch handled his most successful pacer — Josh Hazlewood.
“I find it difficult to comprehend that you have a bowler of Bumrah’s calibre and you give him only two overs upfront. It’s not a tactical mistake, but a tactical blunder,” Gambhir said on EspnCricinfo.
“I was expecting Bumrah and (Mohammed) Shami to bowl five-over spells each upfront and try and get a couple of wickets apiece. I don’t think there is any captain in world cricket who would give Jasprit Bumrah only two overs with the new ball.”
“The Australian top order (Finch, David Warner and Steve Smith) is in prime form, so who has the best chance of taking their wickets? It’s Jasprit Bumrah. And you give him two overs and bring him after 10 overs, when the ball is a tad old and it gets warmer, and then you expect him to get wickets in those conditions. He too is human,” Gambhir said.