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NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu has launched a stinging critique of India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s handling of team combinations during the ongoing fourth Test against England at Old Trafford, Manchester.Speaking on his YouTube channel after England ended Day 3 on a commanding 544/7, Sidhu said that India’s frequent changes have hurt the team’s rhythm and ability to perform collectively.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“In the third match, Bumrah returns and Prasidh Krishna is dropped. In the fourth match, Akash Deep gets injured and Anshul Kamboj is brought in. What is going on? Have you ever seen this many changes? It’s not just bad, it’s worse,” Sidhu said, visibly frustrated.
He said the revolving-door policy is undermining India’s structure. “You’re not able to build a proper combination. Who understands better than Gautam Gambhir that teams win because of combinations, not individual brilliance? When he was with KKR, it was the six-bowler combination that picked up 106 wickets. That made the difference,” Sidhu reminded.
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He also questioned several decisions taken across the four Tests. “In the first match, Bumrah plays but Shardul isn’t given the ball alongside him. Then Shardul gets dropped, Bumrah doesn’t play, Akash Deep comes in, Washington Sundar comes in, Nitish Reddy comes in,” he said, citing a lack of continuity.Sidhu didn’t hold back on India’s bowling performance either, questioning the absence of Kuldeep Yadav and the drop in Bumrah’s pace.
“Today, it felt like there were only two and a half bowlers. Just look at Bumrah. In the first Test, over 40% of his balls were over 140 km/h. Today, only one ball crossed that mark. So somewhere, the engine looks tired,” he added.With England leading 2-1 and dominating the fourth Test, questions over India’s selection policy and management have only intensified.
