Ex-Pakistan cricketer slams Gambhir over loss in third England T20I

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has slammed India head coach Gautam Gambhir over the side’s defeat in the third IND v ENG T20I.

The tourists defeated India by 26 runs in the third game in Rajkot to make a comeback into the five-match IND v ENG T20I series.

In the game, England posted a 171-run total on the scoreboard, with Ben Duckett hitting a quick fifty followed by Liam Livingstone’s late blitz.

In reply, India’s batting lineup collapsed, falling short of 26 runs to win as England restricted them to 145/9 in their 20 overs.

Following the defeat, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali bashed Gautam Gambhir over what he described were technical and tactical mistakes.

“England were 52/1 after the powerplay and India were 51/3. It looked like a pitch as though 200 runs would be scored because there was no due factor. But Gautam (Gambhir) made a technical and tactical mistake. He thought let us bat later as we have already won two games,” Ali said on his YouTube channel.

According to the former Pakistan cricketer, the ball came onto the bat nicely in the first innings as compared to the second in the third IND v ENG T20I.

Basit Ali asserted that the series between the two sides has become interesting as England recovered from two consecutive losses.

“It is 2-1. If India had won it would have been 3-0,” he said.

The two sides are set to face off in the fourth game on Friday at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.