In the second ODI, West Indies beat India by six wickets at Barbados to level the series at 1-1. This loss came as India rested both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to utilise the other players ahead of the marquee ODI World Cup. However, their decision didn’t go well with the team and attracted criticism from fans and former players.
The latest addition to this list is former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad. Prasad slammed the Indian team management and Board with a massive jibe. He said that despite being the richest board in the world, India is far from a champion side. “Test cricket aside, India has been very ordinary in the other two formats for quite some time now. Lost the ODI series against Ban, SA, and Aus. Poor in the last two T20 World Cups. Neither are we an exciting team like England nor brutal like how the Aussies used to be,” Prasad tweeted.
“Despite the money and power, we have become used to celebrating mediocrity and are far from how champion sides are. Every team plays to win, and so does India, but their approach and attitude are also factors in underperformance over a period of time,” he further added. Notably, Prasad has been critical of Indian team management on various occasions. He has been critical of KL Rahul and others.
Indian batters failed to put up a show in the second game
In the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Indian batters failed to put on a show. Openers Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill added 90 runs for the first wicket. Kishan continued his dominance and scored a brilliant half-century. However, apart from him, not a single player failed to capitalise on the opportunity. This led to the collapse, as India was bundled up for just 181 runs.
In return, the West Indies put on a show and won the game easily. Hosts survived a spirited performance from Shardul Thakur (3/42 in 8 overs) before captain Shai Hope (63 not out, 80 balls) and young Keacy Carty (48 not out, 65 balls) added 91 runs for the fifth wicket to end the match in 36.4 overs and snap a run of nine straight bilateral losses since December 2019.
Here is how fans react to Venkatesh Prasad’s comments:
Nepotism and evil politics at work in selecting players. Added to this there is no vision for the future.
Dravid was an excellent cricketer but a pathetic coach.
— Nirmal Jyothi (@majornirmal) July 30, 2023
MARK MY WORDS. Indian team will lift the World Cup……in 2035.
— Vandit Jain (@TheOneDit) July 30, 2023
In tests also we never showed team work otherwise, we wouldn't have lost in the WTC finals. Thanks to Jaddu, Ash, Pant and of course "Indian Pitches" which helped us to reach in final at least.
— DigitalSanghi (@digitalsanghii) July 30, 2023
Totally agree. Indian team has become like Bollywood !!! In sometime the stadium will go short on public also.
— sanjayjalaan (@sanjayjalaan) July 30, 2023
England’s brand of cricket is something else. But is it possible for Indian players when the bench is as strong as starting 11
— Vibin Babuurajan ? (@vibinbaburajan) July 30, 2023
Say thanks to CHETAN SHARMA, GANGULY & RAHUL DRAVID ?????? madarchod log hainyeh sab chutiye sale Virat ko sack kar diya
— Akash Patel (@acash1008) July 30, 2023
Spot on.
— Amit Singh Rajawat (@satya_AmitSingh) July 30, 2023
Goodbye world cup 2023 ??
— Deepak-JSR (@Deepak_D1105) July 30, 2023
I m not blaming IPL but the zeal of playing full IPl and taking breaks from international criecket in the name of load management is so common now .
Players like @hardikpandya7 chose money over country by saying no to teat ans still we give them captaincy …— Abhishek Pandey ??#RB (@AbhishekPandeyK) July 30, 2023
You won't like to hear this but #cricket is now finished in India. It has reached its saturation point. It's time to shift our support to #IndianFootball ?
— Harsh Choudhary (@harshtwiits) July 30, 2023
