Shubman Gill’s captaincy has come under the scanner after India’s first-ever ODI series loss to New Zealand at home.
While the Men in Blue kicked off the three-match series with a four-wicket victory in Vadodara, New Zealand bounced back to win the second ODI by seven wickets in Rajkot.
During the series-deciding third ODI in Indore, the Kiwis racked up a formidable 337/8 on the board and bundled out India for 296 to secure a 41-run win, sealing the series 2-1.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin dissected Shubman Gill's captaincy struggles in the ODI series against New Zealand, highlighting how the likes of MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma excelled in such situations.
According to Ashwin, Gill failed to utilize his best resources when the game was on the line.
"Why do we praise Rohit Sharma and Mahendra Singh Dhoni so much as captains? Because they know where to use the resources and when to bring the resources, and against which batsman," Ashwin remarked. "That was a little missing [in this series]."
Ashwin questioned the skipper's use of Kuldeep Yadav, especially against Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips in the series-decider.
Ashwin felt Gill’s decision-making was influenced by previous failures, leading to a lack of confidence in his bowlers during the series-decider. He particularly questioned the skipper's use of Kuldeep Yadav, especially against Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips.
"You shouldn't lose confidence in a bowler on the basis of the previous game," Ashwin stated.
"I would have loved to see two-over spells," he explained. "If the same Glenn Phillips had to encounter Kuldeep Yadav through the middle overs in two-over spells... give one run to Daryl Mitchell, try and bowl round the stumps."
Ashwin found it surprising that Gill did not have a "Plan B" to shield Kuldeep against certain batters rather than using him to break the Phillips-Mitchell partnership.
"If you use the resources properly and if there is a failure, then it's done," Ashwin concluded. "The point is, you bowl your best bowlers at the right time."
The result marked New Zealand’s maiden ODI series win on Indian soil. It came little over a year after the Black Caps handed India a 3-0 Test series defeat at home.
The two teams will now square off in a five-match T20I series, starting January 21 in Nagpur. The T20I series will be the final dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup 2026, slated to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
