Basit Ali draws parallels between India and Pakistan's struggles against spin

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has criticized the Indian cricket team for their poor performance in the second ODI against Sri Lanka. India, led by Rohit Sharma, failed to chase a target of 241 runs and lost the match by 32 runs, giving Sri Lanka a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Ali commented that India seemed to have forgotten how to play against spinners. Despite a strong start, with Rohit Sharma scoring a quick 64 runs off 29 balls and Shubman Gill contributing 35 runs, India struggled after their opening partnership of 97 runs.

"This is a very bad performance. I remember a movie, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. This morning, India reached the hockey semifinals of the Olympics. But in cricket, it was exactly the opposite of that. The kind of Indian batsmanship that was on the fray, it didn't seem that this is the kind of batting that rules the world," he said.

"I also feel that Iyer and Rahul did not practice. They came into the series without practice. There are big questions. The first wicket fell on 97 that too, Rohit got out while hitting reverse. Is Rohit the only batsman in the Indian team? There is no other batsman," he further added.

Ali was particularly critical of the Indian batsmen's inability to handle spin, questioning their preparation and strategy.

"Gill got out with 30-35 runs. Who will take responsibility? Will only Rohit and Virat's name be heard? What are the other players doing? Today, you can see that Axar played well. The way he played, he played accordingly," Ali said.

Ali noted that the Indian team seemed to struggle against spinners, much like the Pakistani team.

"I feel after Pakistan, India have also forgotten how to bat against the spinners. Maybe because the focus was more on T20s. I feel sad seeing Shivam Dube's dismissal. He couldn't even read it from the hand. Washington Sundar got out in a similar fashion in the first match,' he further added.

He concluded by suggesting a different batting order, with Axar Patel and Rishabh Pant playing more prominent roles, and reconsidering the inclusion of Shivam Dube.

"Gautam Gambhir is using the wrong combination. If he wanted to use the left-right combo, Axar Patel could have come ahead and then Rishabh Pant could have played. Instead of Dube, play two wicketkeepers." he concluded.