Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was baffled by the Indian cricket team management's decision to demote Virat Kohli for Akshar Patel in the ongoing second and final Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka.
Team India chose to send Akshar ahead of Kohli at No. 4, which irritated the former Indian captain, who said the decision was completely beyond his comprehension.
However, the legendary batter lauded Akshar for batting well, as the all-rounder remained unbeaten at 26 at stumps on day three of the final Test against Bangladesh on Friday in Dhaka.
Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports: “It doesn't send good signals to Kohli. To the world's best batsman that you bat down. Unless Kohli himself asked for it, then it's a different matter. We don't know what happened in the changing room. But it's hard to understand. Axar has played well, of course.”
He added, “Irrespective of left-hander or not, let Rishabh Pant come into bat next tomorrow. My point was that even if Axar Patel was still there, it should be Pant who should join him at the crease. Let this left-hand and right-hand experiment stop.”
Gavaskar was not happy with Team India’s fielding in the ongoing Test after Kohli dropped a few tough chances at slip, saying it was surprising to see the players drop so many catches despite having one of the greatest fielders in the game in coach Rahul Dravid.
He signed off by saying, “They are too upright, with their hands on their knees. It's surprising that their coach is Rahul Dravid, the only Indian with more than 200 catches and a fantastic catcher.”
Notably, Mohammed Siraj revealed the reason behind sending Patel ahead of Kohli during India’s second innings against Bangladesh in Dhaka.
Siraj said at the post-day press conference: “It's up to management. I believe it was due to a left-hand and right-hand combination designed to make things difficult for bowlers.”
