‘Whenever the ball grips, we struggle’ – Gautam Gambhir criticizes Indian batters after match against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup 2023
India have entered the final of Asia Cup 2023 following their 41-run win over Sri Lanka.
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Sep 13, 2023 4:49 pm
Gautam Gambhir (Source: Twitter)
Team India’s batting against Sri Lanka in the Super 4 stage of Asia Cup 2023 did not go well with Gautam Gambhir. Speaking about it, Gambhir criticized the Indian batters. “This is becoming a pattern. You remember that match against Australia in Chennai when the ball was gripping a bit and India were chasing some 260-odd runs against spinners like Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar. And we couldn’t chase it,” said Gambhir.
“Whenever the ball grips, we struggle, and we don’t even know whether we can take the game deep. This is not a 350-run wicket…it’s 270. Imagine if in 40 overs you are three down for 160 or 170, then when the ball grips, it is very important for the batters to adjust. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul’s were soft dismissals, but the rest were beaten by the front foot,” said the former Indian cricketer.
‘You expect better from Indian batters‘ – Gautam Gambhir
“Rohit Sharma was beaten by pace, Gill by…that was a brilliant ball. You expect better from Indian batters. As a batter, we often try to play the angle, but if the ball spins from there then things become difficult. If you deliver it closer to the wicket then it becomes easier, but when you deliver it wider from the crease then it becomes difficult,” added the former Indian cricketer.
“And that is why it is necessary to play it off the back foot rather than the front foot, where both the edges are tested. Look at Hardik’s dismissal. And you mentioned (Ajantha) Mendis…he had a carrom ball, and we did not even know how those deliveries would behave. But these were proper left-arm spin deliveries,” Gambhir felt.
“Shubman Gill could have defended that ball. You cannot say that it was an unplayable delivery. Look at the bat face, it is towards the leg side… towards mid-on. Against such deliveries, you should always play it towards mid-off or towards the bowler. The moment you go for mid-on you are giving the chance for an outside edge,” the former World Cup winner concluded.
