India’s 1-2 ODI series defeat against New Zealand has triggered a fresh debate around Shubman Gill’s captaincy, with veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin offering a sharp critique of the young skipper’s tactical decision-making. While Gill’s batting continues to impress, Ashwin believes his leadership under pressure needs refinement, particularly in managing resources during key phases of the game.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin analysed India’s losses in the second and third ODIs, pointing out a lack of clarity in the middle overs. According to him, this is an area where former captains MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma consistently stood out. “They knew exactly when to use their best resources and against which batter,” Ashwin said, adding that this clarity was missing during the New Zealand series.
A major focus of Ashwin’s criticism was Gill’s handling of Kuldeep Yadav. The former India off-spinner questioned why Kuldeep was not used more aggressively against New Zealand’s middle-order batters, especially Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell. Ashwin felt Gill appeared to lose confidence in his bowler due to previous setbacks, a mindset he believes can be costly at the highest level.
“You shouldn’t judge a bowler only by what happened in the last game,” Ashwin remarked, suggesting that Kuldeep should have been trusted with shorter, impactful spells to break partnerships. He also highlighted the absence of a clear “Plan B,” arguing that India failed to exploit technical weaknesses in New Zealand’s batting lineup.
Ashwin stressed that effective captaincy is about backing your best players at decisive moments, even if the plan doesn’t always succeed. “If you use your resources properly and it still fails, that’s acceptable,” he said. “What matters is bowling your best bowlers at the right time.”
As India looks ahead to future assignments, Gill’s challenge will be to balance his own performance with sharper tactical calls. The bigger question now is whether head coach Gautam Gambhir and the team management will take Ashwin’s observations on board as Gill continues to grow into the leadership role.
