'Where is your sixth bowling option?', asks Gautam Gambhir after India's loss in 1st ODI

Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has said that the lack of a sixth bowling option is hurting Team India and at the same time, he also threw light on how there is a lack of fast-bowling all-round options. 

India who had returned to on-field action after almost nine months were completely outplayed by a ruthless Australian team in all three departments of the game and eventually went on to suffer a 66-run loss in the 1st ODI at the SCG.

'No one in top six'

 "It has been happening since the last World Cup, if Hardik Pandya is not fit to bowl, then where is your sixth bowling option? Even if Rohit Sharma comes back into the lineup, the problem you are facing now, you will face the same going ahead. There is no one in top six who can give you a couple of overs," Gambhir told ESPNCricinfo.

"If you see the Australian side, they have got Moises Henriques who can give you a couple of overs, they have Sean Abbott who is a bowling all-rounder. If you talk about India, if Hardik Pandya is unfit then where is your sixth bowling option? I can only think of Vijay Shankar as the other all-rounder, does he have the same impact batting at number five-six, and can he give you eight-nine overs? I have my doubts," he added.

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A tough day for Indian bowlers

The Indian bowlers had a tough day at the office as they were taken to the cleaners by the Australian top as well as middle-order. Sloppy fielding as well misjudged catches also added insult to injury. The frontline bowlers including the likes of premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah as well as Navdeep Saini picked one wicket apiece but gave away 73 and 83 runs respectively while Mohammed Shami was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/59 from his 10 overs.

Even the spinners failed to make the ball talk as well. Ravindra Jadeja went wicketless as he ended up conceding 63 runs whereas, leggie Yuzvendra Chahal was the most expensive bowler who just managed a solitary scalp of Marcus Stoinis but at the cost of giving away 89 runs at an unimpressive economy rate of 8.90 as the hosts posted a mammoth total of 374/6 in their 50 overs.

In reply, opener Shikhar Dhawan (74) and middle-order batsman Hardik Pandya (90) tried to get the Men In Blue over the line with a 128-run fifth-wicket stand after losing the top-order at the score of 101 but it was just not enough as the visitors were restricted to 308/8. 

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(With ANI Inputs)