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Harshit Rana could be a capable No. 8, but there’s no way he ought to be batting ahead of Shivam Dube. Dube, the same fellow who crushed 33 off 22 in the Asia Cup final, was made to sit and observe while Rana battled to rotate the strike. Genuinely, what was Gautam Gambhir thinking?
Abhishek Sharma gave India a perfect start a blazing 68 off 37 balls, showing immaculate timing and confidence. But the moment he got out, everything slowed down. And then came the surprise: Rana walking out before Dube. At first, it seemed like a tactical move, possibly a surprise. But after a couple of overs, it was clear there was no real plan behind it.
Rana faced the likes of Nathan Ellis and Marcus Stoinis but never looked comfortable. He kept pushing singles, playing out dots, and eating up deliveries that Dube could’ve turned into boundaries. Rather than keeping the pressure on Australia, India’s innings completely lost its rhythm. This wasn’t just a slow patch it was poor intent from both the player and the management.
It nearly felt like Gambhir was trying to make a statement instead of making a smart cricketing call. Sending a lower order pacer ahead of one of India’s cleanest T20 strikers was a gamble that made no sense. By the time Dube finally walked in, there wasn’t enough time left for him to settle or swing freely.
Rana’s 35 might look fine on paper, but the 30 odd balls he took changed the entire tempo of the game. That middle phase should’ve been India’s launchpad instead, it turned into a crawl.
This wasn’t just a minor tactical blunder; it was a complete misread of the situation. Gambhir’s so called “masterstroke” backfired badly. Sometimes, trying too hard to be clever ends up costing you the game and tonight was exactly that kind of night.
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