'Making these mistakes is a huge gap': Ashwin slams Shubman Gill's captaincy, blames him for potential series loss

India are on the verge of losing the Test series in England, and veteran spinner R Ashwin believes one big reason is poor captaincy from Shubman Gill. Speaking on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’, Ashwin didn’t hold back as he pointed out some key mistakes India made, especially around how they used their bowlers.

Ashwin said that India have shown a lack of game awareness in this series, especially with tactical decisions on the field. “Coming back to the topic of spinners not being used, I have felt in this series that there has been a lack of game awareness and in many ways, our tactical acumen both on and off the field. This is the main reason why England are ahead in this series and India are behind. We haven’t been the sharpest,” he said.

Ashwin slams Gill for not using spinners properly

He believes Gill will improve with time, but said that missing key moments in the match is costing the team. “Sometimes if you feel you play spin well, you don’t bring in your own spinners at the right time. And when that happens, spinners become a defensive option instead of an attacking one,” Ashwin explained.

More from First Cricket

India vs New Zealand LIVE Score 1st T20 at Nagpur: Men in Blue in control despite Phillips-Chapman partnership Bangladesh T20 World Cup participation Highlights: ICC board votes to replace Bangladesh with another team

He gave a specific example from Day 4 of the final Test, when England batter Harry Brook was scoring freely. Ashwin said that was the moment to bring in Washington Sundar to slow down the runs. “You could’ve had a spinner from one end and a fast bowler from the other. But we missed that chance,” he added.

Ashwin blames the Indian team management

Ashwin also said it’s not clear whether these calls are made on the field or come from the team management. “Making these mistakes is a huge gap. We don’t know whether the message is going from outside to the middle. We don’t know the dressing room talks. But in today’s day and age, these mistakes can definitely be avoided,” he said.

Quick Reads

View All

'Won't require surgery...': Real reason behind Jasprit Bumrah's absence from 5th Test revealed in new report

PCB bans players from WCL over India-Pakistan match controversy

Ashwin’s comments came after India showed some fight on Day 4 but still allowed England to come close to victory. Joe Root and Harry Brook both scored hundreds and stitched a massive 195-run partnership, taking the game away from India. Brook smashed 111 runs off 98 balls, while Root made 105.

India did strike back after tea, with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna picking up wickets and slowing the scoring. The match was paused due to bad light and rain, with England at 339/6, just 35 runs away from a record win.