Shubman Gill blasted for ‘compromising' with quality for quantity’ on ODI captaincy debut: ‘He did not play a…’

Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif slammed the bowlers after India’s Perth defeat, pointing out the over-reliance on part-timers and stressing that victories can’t rest solely on the shoulders of stars like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami. The former cricketer further called all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy an incomplete bowler.

"In this team there were many part-time bowers. Nitish Reddy is not a complete bowler. On such a pitch even Sundar is not a complete bowler. Harshit Rana would be disappointed with his bowling. It was the bowlers' responsibility to win this game. I know it was a low score. But when will you win games as bowlers then? Will you win only with Bumrah and Shami?" Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

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India struggled to 136 for 9 in 26 overs, with rain halting play on four occasions, leaving Australia a revised target of 131. The hosts chased it down comfortably in just 21.1 overs, dominating the rain-affected contest.

Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar each picked up a wicket for India, while the batting highlights came from KL Rahul (38), Axar Patel (31), and Nitish Kumar Reddy (19*), who provided some resistance for the visitors.

“It was a test of Shubman Gill as well”

Apart from criticising bowlers, Kaif was also not impressed with Shubman Gill for not picking a wicket-taker like Kuldeep Yadav, as he gave the example of legendary Shane Warne, who enjoyed great success across formats Down Under.

"It was a test of all the bowlers and Gill as well. He did not play Kuldeep in the XI. You covered everything but did not play a wicket-taking bowler. Shane Warne was successful in all formats in Australia. I was disappointed that Kuldeep did not play. Kuhnamann bagged two wickets. You have compromised with quality for quantity," he added.

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