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Former India cricketer Vijay Bharadwaj was critical of both Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja following the Men in Blue's 22-run defeat to England in the Lord's Test. The India captain was criticized for not taking charge during the match and not having any say on how the likes of Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj played during the fifth and final day of the match.
Bharadwaj also questioned Team India's approach during Day 5 and stated that Gill shouldn't have left the game plan to Jadeja as their strategy of scoring runs on an incredibly slow run-rate didn't eventually work out and they ended up slumping to a defeat in the third session.
Bharadwaj raised questions over Gill's leadership in Lord's Test
"I think the approach was only wrong. How can Shubman Gill say we will leave Jadeja to make his game plan the way he wants? If he was doing it right then okay. He wasn't picking runs and looking to win the game," Bharadwaj said on Star Sports.
Bharadwaj further questioned Jadeja's move of giving the strike to Bumrah and Siraj on several occasions despite the two being tailenders. Not only did the all-rounder rotate the strike many times, but also failed to score boundaries when it mattered and this was one of the main reasons behind the team's defeat.
“How will you accept giving strike to Bumrah and Jadeja from the outside? With Bumrah and Siraj getting out and Jadeja remaining not out in the end, not at all accepted. There is no use. If the team does not win either 50 or 200, it doesn't matter. Jadeja is batting well. In such a time, even if he went to score and got out we could have said fine, it’s okay," Bharadwaj added.
“If someone as experienced as Jadeja was playing like this, someone from the outside at least could have told him. It is disappointing to come so close and lose a game that we should have won," he concluded.
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Meanwhile, the fourth Test of the ongoing England-India series is set to be played at Old Trafford from July 23. With the hosts leading the series by 2-1, it is crucial for Shubman Gill & Co. to come out victorious in Manchester or else all their chances of triumphing will fade away. On the other hand, if the Three Lions manage to win the fourth Test, then they will go on to seal the series before even playing the fifth and final match.
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