Gautam Gambhir slammed by Ex-India opener for chopping and changing India's playing XI against England

Former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu slammed head coach Gautam Gambhir for his inconsistent team selections during the fourth Test against England in Manchester. Sidhu called the chopping and changing of players "not just bad, it's worse," adding that the team is unable to build a proper combination.

India have changed their playing XI in all four Tests so far in the ongoing series. The trend of changes is expected to continue in the fifth and final Test at The Oval, starting on July 31. Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be rested to manage his workload, while Rishabh Pant is expected to miss out due to a fractured toe.

Have You Ever Seen This Many Changes? - Navjot Singh Sidhu Slams Gautam Gambhir

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Navjot Singh Sidhu said that frequent chopping and changing have disrupted the side’s balance. Sidhu added that India are failing to pick a settled combination and added that success in cricket comes from the team, not just individual brilliance.

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“In the third match, Bumrah returns and Prasidh Krishna is dropped. In the fourth match, Akash Deep gets injured and Anshul Kamboj is brought in. What is going on? Have you ever seen this many changes? It's not just bad, it's worse,” Sidhu said.

“You're not able to build a proper combination. Who understands better than Gautam Gambhir that teams win because of combinations, not individual brilliance? When he was with KKR, it was the six-bowler combination that picked up 106 wickets. That made the difference,” he added.

Jasprit Bumrah Plays but Shardul Thakur Isn't Given the Ball - Navjot Singh Sidhu

Navjot Singh Sidhu said that Shardul Thakur was not given the ball alongside Jasprit Bumrah in the bowling attack during the first Test. Sidhu highlighted the lack of continuity as a major issue affecting team cohesion.

“In the first match, Bumrah plays but Shardul isn't given the ball alongside him. Then Shardul gets dropped, Bumrah doesn't play, Akash Deep comes in, Washington Sundar comes in, Nitish Reddy comes in,” Sidhu said.

It Felt Like There Were Only Two and a Half Bowlers - Navjot Singh Sidhu

The 61-year-old also raised questions regarding the exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav. He added that the team operated with just "two and a half bowlers" on the day. Sidhu noted that while over 40% of Bumrah’s deliveries in the first Test exceeded 140 km/h, only one ball crossed that mark this time.

“Today, it felt like there were only two and a half bowlers. Just look at Bumrah. In the first Test, over 40% of his balls were over 140 km/h. Today, only one ball crossed that mark. So somewhere, the engine looks tired,” Sidhu added.

England scored 544/7 at stumps on Day 3, with a 186-run lead. Ben Stokes (77*) and Liam Dawson (21*) remained unbeaten at the crease. Joe Root hit his 38th Test century, scoring 150 from 248 deliveries. Scrutiny has grown over India’s selection decisions and team management.

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