IND vs NZ 2026: ‘Gill missed a trick’ - Rahane & Zaheer question Indian captain’s late use of spinners in Indore

Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane questioned skipper Shubman Gill’s tactical decision to use only 12 overs of spin during the third ODI against New Zealand at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Sunday, January 18. Despite the presence of frontline spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, both bowlers were restricted to just six overs each as the Black Caps went on to post a formidable 337/8.

India’s fast bowlers made an impressive start, reducing New Zealand to 58/3 early in the innings. Gill continued to rely heavily on his pace attack following the early breakthroughs and also introduced Nitish Kumar Reddy into the bowling rotation. Kuldeep was brought into the attack only in the 17th over, during which he bowled a brief three-over spell. Jadeja, on the other hand, had to wait until the 30th over to make his first appearance with the ball.

"Personally, I think Shubman missed a trick by bowling only three overs of Kuldeep in the middle overs, and then he was waiting till the 37th-38th over. Even Jadeja being held back till the 30th over, those are the guys who can get you the wickets. That is where India went slightly wrong," Rahane said on Cricbuzz.

Former Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan also echoed Rahane’s views, stating that introducing a bowler of Jadeja’s calibre only after the 30-over mark was far too late.

"More than Kuldeep, it is Ravindra Jadeja's inclusion in the bowling attack very late that was the problem. Maybe the thought was to give Nitish Reddy a bit more game time and overs under his belt in a match situation, but because of that, you get a bit hamstrung with your options. If you bring your second spinner at over number 30, then you pretty much know that he is not going to complete his quota of overs," Zaheer said.

Rahane, however, praised Gill for his decision to hand the new ball to Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh, while holding Mohammed Siraj back for later in the innings. India had brought Arshdeep into the playing XI in place of Prasidh Krishna, and the move paid immediate dividends as the left-arm pacer dismissed Henry Nicholls for a golden duck in the very first over.

"It was the perfect plan (to start with Harshit and Arshdeep with the new ball), Arshdeep can swing the ball both ways and Harshit has been doing really well. Siraj can adapt, he can bowl with the new ball, he can be the first change and bowl with the old ball as well," Rahane said.

Gill has to read the phases of the game: Rahane

Rahane advised Gill to introduce the spinners immediately after the fielding restrictions were lifted and then assess how to manage their spells based on how they responded.

"From the captain's point of view, you have to read the phases of the game, you have to bring your spinners early, especially when bowling first. If you can get the spinner on after 10 overs, just to see if there is any purchase off the wicket, you can anytime stop the spell and bring him later," Rahane concluded.