Dinesh Karthik loses his cool after India send Harshit Rana in to bat in the powerplay

Gautam Gambhir’s confused tactics during India’s third T20I against England drew a remarkable reaction on air from former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik. India’s batting line-up was trounced by England at Trent Bridge, leading to a disastrous top-order collapse in the powerplay.

India lost five wickets in the first six overs with Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel all returning to the pavilion. With the innings in complete disarray, the Gautam Gambhir-led team management made a surprise decision to promote fast bowler Harshit Rana ahead of all-rounder Shivam Dube.

IND vs ENG, 3rd T20I: Highlights

DINESH KARTHIK LOSES IT IN INDIAN TEAM MANAGEMENT

Commentator Dinesh Karthik was stunned by the move when he questioned the logic of shielding the proven batsman by the tailender during a batting collapse at a crucial stage in the series.

“Harshit Rana comes in to bat ahead of Shivam Dube, are you kidding me? I don’t even think Harshit Rana has ever batted in the power-play, not even in domestic cricket,” Karthik said on commentary.

“In T20 cricket you can use the left-right combination but only up to a certain point. Not Harshit Rana in front of Shivam Dube,” he added.

India’s horror start with the bat culminated in one of their worst batting performances in years. The visitors were bowled out for 76 at Trent Bridge, their 2nd lowest total in T20I history.

The win gave England an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, while India are still waiting for their first T20I win under Shreyas Iyer.

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

08 Jul 2026 01:06 IST