Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir - (Source : AFP)
On Sunday, October 19, India ended their winning streak and registered their first ODI defeat in a year. In the rain-reduced game, the visitors, batting first, tumbled for just 136 runs in 26 overs.
In reply, Australia, who were asked to chase down 131 runs, registered a comfortable seven-wicket win to lead the series 1-0. It was a disappointing show from the Men in Blue, and while the focus is on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's dismal performance, one should not shift their focus away from Shubman Gill's underwhelming performance.
Gill, who scored just 10 runs off the bat, became the first Indian captain after Virat Kohli to lose all debut matches as a captain across formats. Overall, it was a very frustrating debut for Shubman as rain frequently interrupted the game, resulting in just a 26-over game, leaving very little to do or implement for the new captain.
Nonetheless, this article will still analyse Gill's captaincy debut and also look at the things that India and Gill should learn from Australia for the 2nd ODI.
1. To stop with over-experimentation
The first and foremost thing that India needs to stop is over-experimentation. Agreed that it is the best time to try out different combinations and look for the best playing XI, but this over-experimentation is actually hampering an individual's chances, slowly creeping in a sense of insecurity in the team.
For ex, Kuldeep Yadav, who is India's primary spinner, was left out of the first ODI, without any reason or explanation. Another instance within the game was the promotion of Axar Patel ahead of KL Rahul and Washington Sundar ahead of Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Over-fantastication with the left-hand right-hand combination
India is heading towards an obsession with left-hand right-hand combinations, which has left the team without any fixed batting order. Diving deep into the recently concluded match, barring the Top 4 fixed right-handed batter, Axar Patel was promoted ahead of KL Rahul to create that left-hand right-hand combination.
Another instance in the same game was when Washington Sundar was promoted ahead of Nitish Kumar Reddy to partner KL Rahul, to again have a leftie and a rightie in the middle.
However, for Australia, they don't believe in such tactics, and it has worked for them over the years. Even in today's match, there was no conscious effort from the coach to have a left-right combination despite losing three wickets at one point.
Further, for Gill, he, being the captain, should have the power to question Gambhir, if it's the coach, who is making these decisions.
2. Rotating bowlers as per situation
One common mistake that India usually makes is to reserve its best bowlers till the last. While it is not a bad thing to do, going by the same philosophy even in crunch situations makes no sense.
For Australia, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood started the proceedings and quickly took three wickets. Following the rain interruption, Hazlewood could only bowl one over and yet Mitchell Marsh went ahead with him, and he picked up the crucial wicket of Shreyas Iyer.
Thus, Australia went for the kill, despite no such demands from the game. However, during the run chase, Arshdeep Singh picked up an early wicket, and India had the chance to bounce back in the game, but Gill then took Singh out of the attack after giving him just two overs.
Thus, reserving Singh's over in a low-scoring event made no sense, and the India captain should look into this.
3. Aggressive Intent during chase
India are one of the best teams in the world when it comes to play aggressive brand of cricket. There is no denying it nor is anyone asking questions about it, but one thing that India can get inspired from Australia is to keep up the aggressive intent going during a run-chase despite fall of early wickets.
Talking about Australia, the Men in Yellow were reduced to 44/2 and yet they didn't stop themselves from the positive display of cricket despite the wickets.
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