Disappointed by the way critics targeted Virat Kohli and his men after their New Zealand drubbing, says Gautam Gambhir

The Indian Cricket team suffered a significant reversal during the second half of their recently concluded tour of New Zealand. After having swatted aside the BlackCaps in the 5-match T20I series (5-0), the Virat Kohli-led unit suffered back-to-back whitewashes in the ODI (0-3) and Test series (0-2) and was subjected to stinging criticism for their underwhelming performances.

One of the most disappointing aspects of the New Zealand tour was the fact that two of India’s biggest superstars in Jasprit Bumrah and especially captain Virat Kohli had a forgettable series. Kohli and Team India were criticized by both fans as well as former cricketers, something that has disappointed former World Cup winner and Team India opener Gautam Gambhir.

Gambhir wrote in his Times of India column that he is disappointed by the way critics went after Kohli and his Men in  Blue after the No.1 ranked side was whitewashed 0-2 in the Test series.

“I was once again disappointed by the way critics went after Virat Kohli and his men after the 2-0 Test series loss against New Zealand. Everything was questioned. Selection choices, the atmosphere in the dressing room, Jasprit Bumrah’s sharpness, or the lack of it, and even Virat Kohli’s eyesight.

Prithvi Shaw was touring New Zealand in India colours for the first time. Mayank Agarwal is not too old in the piece. In the absence of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, the dependency on Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were way too much. In the end, the conditions proved way too challenging.” Gambhir wrote in his column in TOI.

Gautam Gambhir points out the one positive from the New Zealand tour

The former opener rued the fact that India missed the services of ace fast bowler Ishant Sharma, who was ruled out of the second Test due to injury. Besides that, Gambhir felt that India would have better served, had they included in-form opener, KL Rahul, for the Test series.

“Our bowling department was well-served especially with Ishant Sharma returning, though, unfortunately, he ended up getting injured. If anything, I was disappointed to see them playing with four bowlers. As I wrote in the past as well, India should always play with five specialist bowlers. Apart from this, they should have retained KL Rahul in the Test team.” Gambhir added.

However, Gambhir pointed out that Shaw’s batting in the ODIs and Test matches was one positive from an otherwise forgettable tour, and the former opener feels that the precocious young talent will gain a lot while batting with Shikhar Dhawan during the upcoming ODI series against South Africa.

“India. With Shikhar returning, there will be confidence in the dressing room. The format and conditions will help Prithvi too. I won’t be surprised if he comes across a different batsman altogether. There is some talk about the Mumbaikar’s problems against short-pitched bowling. I am not sure if this will spill over into white-ball cricket. He should be fine,” Gambhir pointed out.

The southpaw is also keen on watching Hardik Pandya, who is all set to return after a long injury layoff.

“I am particularly keen on watching Hardik Pandya perform. A fast-bowling all-rounder is like a gold reserve in any format. If he fires, Kohli will be happy.” Gambhir added.