In the third T20 match played between India and England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, Team India had to face a crushing defeat by 125 runs. In this match, the Indian team was all out for just 76 runs. With the defeat, India fell 2-0 behind in the T20 series. During the match, a decision of the team management and coach Gautam Gambhir surprised everyone. Fast bowler Harshit Rana was sent to bat before batsman Shivam Dubey, on which former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik raised questions.

Dinesh Karthik expressed surprise at the decision

Dinesh Karthik said during live commentary that sending Harshit Rana before Shivam Dubey was not the right decision. He said that perhaps Harshit might not have batted in the powerplay even in his domestic career. Karthik admitted that left-right combination can be beneficial in T20 cricket, but it also has its limits. According to him, this decision was not in the interest of the team.

Questions raised on team management

Karthik also asked whether the team management did not trust Shivam Dubey. He said that it was incomprehensible to send a bowler instead of an expert batsman in such an important match. He said that such decisions can cause loss to the team.

Harshit Rana’s promotion did not work

While chasing the target of 202 runs, India lost five wickets in the powerplay itself. After this, Harshit Rana was sent to bat, but he was out after scoring only 9 runs in 13 balls. Later Shivam Dubey could also score only 2 runs. Akshar Patel was also sent before Tilak Verma, but this strategy was also not successful. Akshar scored 10 runs and Tilak scored only 3 runs.

India’s biggest T20 defeat

Indian batting completely disintegrated and the entire team was reduced to just 76 runs in 11.4 overs. No batsman could score more than 13 runs. England won this match by 125 runs, which is India’s biggest defeat in T20 international cricket in terms of runs. Now England is leading 2-0 in the series.

The fourth T20 match between the two teams will be played on July 9 in Bristol, where India will try to save the series.