Shubman Gill and Gurnoor Brar during 3rd ODI against England, at Lord’s in London on Sunday. (ANI Photo)

Former India batter Hanuma Vihari has questioned Shubman Gill’s captaincy following India’s 27-run defeat to England in the third ODI at Lord’s, criticizing the team’s decision to field only five bowling options in the series decider.India suffered a heartbreaking defeat as England posted a record-breaking 387/3, the highest ODI total at Lord’s, before the visitors fell short despite Rohit Sharma’s brilliant century. With Jasprit Bumrah ruled out due to a knee injury, India entered the match with four specialist pacers and Axar Patel as the lone spinner, leaving Gill without a sixth bowling option. The inexperienced attack struggled to contain England’s batters, with Ben Duckett’s 141 and Jacob Bethell’s 91 powering the hosts to a daunting total.

Hanuma Vihari questions Gill’s bowling management

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Vihari felt Gill struggled to rotate his bowlers because of the lack of an additional bowling option.“Having just five bowlers in the last ODI, he (Gill) was struggling with his bowling changes. When everyone was getting hit, not having a sixth option became a concern for him, You should also know how to handle things when this option is not there. Whether it is field placement or bowling changes, I feel he has to improve. He has a lot to improve in captaincy. His batting is outstanding, but he has to get better as captain because the results are not coming,” Hanuma Vihari said.

Vihari puzzled by Kuldeep Yadav’s omission

Vihari also questioned the decision to leave wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav out of the playing XI, arguing that India should prioritize experienced match-winners in the build-up to the ODI World Cup.“Why was Kuldeep left out? It is something that I cannot understand. Going with youth in T20s is still fine, but in ODIs you have to go with experience. Seeing the IPL, you feel there are many new players, but match-winners are very few, and you have to pick those match-winners. If winning the World Cup is your goal, you have to back experienced players and those who know how to win games,” Vihari concluded.This was India’s first ODI series loss against England since 2018.