There is a huge gap between India and Sri Lanka: Gautam Gambhir

The Indian team put up a dominating performance in the ongoing bilateral series against Sri Lanka, to clinch the three match Test series 2-0. The nations are yet to play the third Test which kicks off later this week, on Saturday at Pallekele. However former Indian opener, Gautam Gambhir has criticized the recent Men in Blue’s victories. Sri Lanka cricket is currently going through a tough phase as they recently lost a series against minnows Zimbabwe which saw their now ex-skipper Angelo Mathews step down.

The World Cup-winning Indian opener opined on India’s new Test debutant, Hardik Pandya. He believes as an all-rounder Pandya has much more scope to improve, especially with the willow. The right medium pacer is one the rarest breed of all-rounders but needs to be more stable when in the crease. Coming into bat at the No. 4 or No. 5 spot, Pandya gets a good platform to build an innings with the openers putting up impeccable performances at the top.

“Look, he’s got to improve a lot, especially when it comes to his batting. You can’t just play one way. At the moment, he can do that because you have your top three and four scoring runs for you. So, you have the platform to go out there and play the way you want to. But ultimately, you have to tighten your technique because the moment you lose two-three wickets early, with him batting at No. 6 or 7, he has to have a little bit of solidity,” said Gambhir to ESPN Cricinfo.

“At the moment, according to me, he’s not there yet. He needs to work a lot on his technical side. Maybe he can be an attacking option, but at the same time, you need to have a solid technique for that as well. Right now, you can’t compare his two or three innings because he has got the platform to play the way he wants to play.”

Gambhir also had his say about the competition between India and Sri Lanka in the ongoing Test series, “There is a huge gap between the two teams, especially from the bowling attack’s point of view. If the opposition makes 600 both the times, you can judge the quality of the attack.”

The series so far

The Men in Blue registered their second consecutive victory on a trot in the ongoing series with an upbeat performance. The island nation suffered a batting collapse and was ultimately bowled out for 386, handing the visitors emphatic innings and 53-run win with a day to spare.

Following the Three-Test series, the nations will then feature in a five-match ODI series and a solitary T20I before India fly back home for the Australia series.