"It's Not Do-Or-Die": Gautam Gambhir, Shreyas Iyer Slammed For 'Hastily' Dropping Star Player From T20I XI

While India have already wrapped up the T20I series win over New Zealand, their performance in the fourth T20I left a lot to be desired. In Auckland on Friday, India conceded 259 in 20 overs, with every bowler except Arshdeep Singh conceding at an economy of more than 12. After the match, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif blasted the Gautam Gambhir and Shreyas Iyer-led team management for not persisting with pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and dropping him after just three games.

Bhuvneshwar had made his comeback into the Indian T20I team after four years, but struggled in the first three games of the series and got dropped for the fourth match.

However, Kaif insisted that the team management made a "hasty" decision, stating that nearly all bowlers are going at high economy rates.

"I was surprised that Bhuvneshwar was dropped. There are at least 10-11 bowlers across both teams, and each of them has a high economy. Everyone is leaking runs. I cannot understand why he was dropped. If everyone is going for runs, you cannot pick out one person like this," Kaif said, speaking on his YouTube channel.

"He is coming back after four years. You have also won the series. It is not like a do-or-die situation that you had to make this change. I do not agree with this. He should have gotten the entire series before deciding," Kaif added.

Bhuvneshwar enjoyed a great IPL 2026 season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), picking up 28 wickets in 16 games. However, he wasn't able to replicate the same form in India blue.

Despite that, Kaif stated that Bhuvneshwar not being in the side removes experience from India's bowling unit, with the likes of Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav and Nitish Reddy still being relatively new to the T20I scene.

"When you are aware of his capabilities, you should have stood by him even if two or three games were bad. There is no Bumrah, and all are new bowlers. I understand we are disappointed, and he was not in the flow that we expected. I am sure Bhuvneshwar realises this himself. But he was not the only one getting hit. You would get a clear picture after giving him all five games. This is a hasty call," Kaif elaborated.

It will be interesting to see whether Bhuvneshwar gets a chance in the fifth T20I, as well as going forward in future series.

Featured Video Of The Day

CWG 2026 Weightlifting Gold Medallist, Mirabai Chanu Get Hero's Welcome in Delhi