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Former Pakistan batter and commentator Basit Ali has stated that the Indian ODI captain, Shubman Gill, was trying to copy Pakistan batter Shan Masood, adding that he needs to learn captaincy skills.
Notably, Basit Ali’s comments came right after India’s ODI series loss to New Zealand 1-2. Furthermore, he asserted that Gill couldn’t make use of his bowlers properly in the third and final ODI, which resulted in a 41-run loss.
“Credit goes to the Indian captain, Mr Gill and his captaincy. Even India was without Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah. Shami, they aren’t keen on picking. India’s strength has come down to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Rahul scored in two matches, but he got out cheaply today. What were the rest doing?" Basit said on the YouTube Show ‘The Game Plan’.
“When New Zealand almost chased down a 300-plus target in the first ODI, they had set their goal. Who are India’s main bowlers, barring pacers? Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja. You have specialist bowlers, but you made Nitish Reddy bowl before him," he added.
“Shubman Gill was trying to copy Shan Masood. Follow whatever message has been conveyed to him from the dressing room. You needed an early breakthrough. I salute him. Go to school and learn captaincy," he stated.
Delving into the details of the third and final ODI, New Zealand was entrusted to bat first after losing the toss. In-form batters Daryl Mitchell (137) and Glenn Phillips (106) were the star players as they posted 337/8 in 50 overs.
In the second innings, India managed to score only 296 runs in 46 overs before getting all out. Virat Kohli (124), Nitish Reddy (53), and Harshit Rana (52) were the top batters, but they failed to take India over the line. New Zealand pacers Zakary Foulkes and Kristian Clarke pocketed three wickets apiece.
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