Gautam Gambhir's Gamble Backfires: Playing Three All-Rounders Costs India the Series Against Australia

Team India’s tour of Australia has been far from ideal, with the visitors losing the ODI series after two consecutive defeats. Despite the buzz around Shubman Gill’s captaincy and the return of stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, India’s performance has been flat and unconvincing. Adding to the criticism is head coach Gautam Gambhir’s tactical decision to field three all-rounders in both ODIs — a move that has now become one of the biggest talking points of the series.

In the second ODI at Adelaide on October 23, India batted first and managed 264 runs for 9 wickets. Australia chased it down in 47 overs with 8 wickets down, sealing the series 2-0 even before the final match. But beyond individual failures, many are questioning Gambhir’s team selection — particularly the exclusion of India’s top spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, in favor of three all-rounders: Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

The idea behind this combination was to strengthen India’s batting depth. However, with no Jasprit Bumrah or Mohammed Shami in the squad, India’s bowling already lacked experience and bite — and dropping Kuldeep further weakened the attack. The decision proved costly, especially in conditions where spin could have played a decisive role.

Australia’s leg-spinner Adam Zampa showed exactly what India missed by taking four wickets in the middle overs and breaking India’s momentum. Meanwhile, when Australia was 187 for 5, a spinner like Kuldeep could have turned the game around. Instead, the hosts’ middle and lower order — led by Short (74), Owen (36 off 23), and Connolly (61* off 53) — capitalized on India’s lack of quality spin to guide their team home.

As for India’s trio of all-rounders, their contribution was modest. Axar Patel played a spirited knock of 44 off 41 balls, but Sundar (12 off 14) and Nitish (8 off 10) failed to make an impact. With the ball, the three combined for 20 overs, conceding 113 runs and taking only 3 wickets. Nitish was particularly expensive, going for 24 runs in just 3 overs.

In hindsight, Gambhir’s insistence on batting depth over bowling strength appears to have backfired. By sidelining Kuldeep — India’s most in-form spinner — the team lost a key wicket-taking option and control in the middle overs. As a result, what could have been a competitive series turned into a comfortable victory for Australia, leaving fans and experts questioning whether tactical rigidity cost India more than just a match.