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"Sacrifice a batsman": Ex-India pacer advises Shubman Gill after India’s defeat in 2nd ODI

Jatin

Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir [Source: @onlyforGill7/x.com]Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir [Source: @onlyforGill7/x.com]

India’s woes in the ongoing ODI series against Australia deepened on Thursday as they went down by two wickets in Adelaide, handing the hosts an unassailable 2–0 lead. It was also India’s first ODI loss at the venue in 17 years, a bitter pill to swallow for Shubman Gill and his men.

Despite handy knocks from Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and Axar Patel, India fell short in all three departments and dropped catches only added fuel to the fire. Australia chased down 265 with 22 balls to spare, led by Matthew Short's 74 and young Cooper Connolly’s composed 61*.

Varun Aaron’s bold advice to Gill and co.

Former India quick Varun Aaron didn’t mince his words after the defeat. Speaking to broadcasters post-match, Aaron said India needed to rethink their team balance, even if it meant dropping a batter.

“Kuldeep Yadav should have come in from game one. You will have to sacrifice a batsman. Obviously, you can’t play two fast bowlers in Australia. That’s that. That would be a no-go. But Kuldeep is somebody who will get you wickets. He will make up for those runs which you didn’t score.”

Aaron believes Kuldeep’s inclusion could add the wicket-taking edge that India sorely missed in Adelaide.

“It’s not that India have never played with seven batters before. They have in the past, and I think Kuldeep would be a great addition because he would get you wickets in the middle. And today again, India were depending on the batsmen to make mistakes, rather than to get wickets in the middle. But they didn’t really get the batsman out, if that makes sense. They’re two very different things,” he added.

Bowlers struggled to break through

India’s bowling looked toothless through the middle overs. Australia were under pressure early but managed to rebuild through smart batting and India’s inconsistent fielding. Aaron’s suggestion stems from a larger issue of India’s inability to take wickets regularly between overs 15 and 40, something Kuldeep Yadav has often excelled at.

India’s final chance in Sydney

With the series already gone, India now have a chance to end on a high in the final ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday. Whether the management takes Aaron’s advice and brings back Kuldeep Yadav remains to be seen but one thing is for sure: India can’t afford another off day with the ball.

After that, Suryakumar Yadav will lead the T20I side in a five-match series starting October 29 which will be a fresh start after a disappointing ODI leg Down Under.