The Indian test team’s disappointing show in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy has raised concerns, with former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali speculating a rift between skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir. The speculation comes after India’s heavy 10-wicket defeat in the Adelaide Test and their current struggles in the third Test at Brisbane.
Amid rain interruptions at the Gabba, India has found itself struggling against a dominant Australian side. The visitors trail by a massive 445 runs after being reduced to 51 for four in their first innings. The lone bright spot for India has been Jasprit Bumrah who claimed 6 for 76 in Australia’s first innings – his second five-wicket haul of the series. However, his brilliance has been overshadowed by the team’s collective failures.
India’s woes in Brisbane mirror their poor outing in the first Test in Adelaide. In the series opener, India managed just 337 in their first innings despite Bumrah’s 4 for 61, and failed to score a single half-century in the second innings. Chasing a meager 19-run target, Australia completed the task in just 20 deliveries. At the Gabba, India’s batting lineup once again faltered, leaving the team heavily dependent on Jasprit Bumrah’s efforts with the ball.
On his YouTube channel, Basit Ali speculated that a rift exists between Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir, who took over as head coach in July, succeeding Rahul Dravid. Basit Ali pointed to India’s questionable team selections and tactical decisions as evidence of internal disagreements.
He said, “Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir are not on the same page, be it the one-day tournament in Sri Lanka; Bangladesh, which was a weak series; or the New Zealand series after that. In the second and third (Tests), they (Rohit and Gambhir) are not on the same page, like Rahul Dravid was.”
Basit Ali criticised India’s choice to exclude Washington Sundar or Ravichandran Ashwin – spinners who could have been effective against Australia’s left-handed batters. Instead, Ravindra Jadeja replaced Ashwin in the Gabba Test, a move Basit Ali deemed unwise.
He said, “It’s easy to explain. In all three Tests matches, a different spinner played. In two Test matches, they batted after winning the toss, but here they chose to bowl. There are three left-handers in the Australian batting….So why not (Washington) Sundar and why not (Ravichandran) Ashwin? Anybody who understands cricket will certainly talk about it.”
Basit Ali also questioned India’s decision to bowl first in Brisbane, especially with a bowling attack overly reliant on Bumrah. He highlighted the absence of a left-arm pacer as a “weak link” in India’s setup.
Basit Ali stated, “Was the decision to choose bowling first right? I think it was not. The Indian team is only dependent on star pacer Jasprit Bumrah. The rest of the bowlers are not performing like they should. If I say it’s Jasprit Bumrah vs Australia, that will be right. Similarly, it’s Travis Head vs India…Neither Rohit, nor (bowling coach) Morne Morkel and (head coach) Gautam Gambhir are able to solve this problem.”
He further added, “India don’t have a left-arm fast bowler in their squad and this is a weak link. We have seen Mir Hamza or Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissing Head because that’s a different angle. That’s why, if you see, Jasprit Bumrah bowls round the wicket whenever he bowls to Head.”
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With the series slipping out of their grasp, India will need to regroup and address both on-field performance and off-field tensions. Resolving these issues is critical as they aim to bounce back in the remaining matches of the series and rebuild their reputation on the international stage.
