Former Indian batsman Manoj Tiwary has expressed his concerns over the Indian cricket team’s recent Test series loss to New Zealand, criticizing captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir for their approach and team selection.
Tiwary believes that India’s downfall began with Rohit’s decision to bat first in the rain-affected series opener in Bengaluru. “India’s biggest enemy was the weather in Bengaluru, because they had prepared a turning track. After winning the toss India had the opportunity to field, but I don’t know why they opted to bat first, and that is where it all started,” Tiwary told Cricbuzz.
He also criticized the team selection, particularly the inclusion of Washington Sundar over Kuldeep Yadav and the omission of Akash Deep in the first Test. “You already have a spin-bowling all-rounder in Axar Patel, who picked up wickets in spinning conditions previously. But you ignored him and then benched Kuldeep in the second Test. You did not play Akash Deep in Bengaluru, but included him in the second Test, where you did not give him the ball in the second innings. Then you did not start with Jasprit Bumrah in the attack. All these things will backfired,” he added.
Tiwary warned that these selection calls could lead to disturbances and even cracks within the team. “What this will lead to is in the coming days there will be a lot of disturbances in the team, there will be cracks in the team,” he said.
Rohit and Gambhir will be under pressure to turn things around in the third and final Test, starting November 1, before the crucial tour of Australia next month. India will play five Tests Down Under, with the series likely to determine their fate in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
