Former Indian chairman of selectors and commentator Kris Srikkanth has shared his views on India’s poor bowling performance in the just-concluded three-game ODI series against the West Indies, which India won by 2-1.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth expressed his dissatisfaction over Shubman Gill’s improper usage of bowlers in the death overs. Interestingly, the West Indies batters chased down the 352-run target in the third ODI.
“Mohammed Siraj had two overs left, and even if he had bowled the 50th over, he would have bowled only nine overs. I didn’t understand that logic. Siraj should have bowled the last over that Kamboj did. Indian bowling overall is so pedestrian. There is no chance of winning the World Cup with this bowling. India are just trying to develop random guys like Gurnoor Brar and Anshul Kamboj. There is no logic behind this,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
“Even with such a pathetic West Indian attack, India only scored 350. And this is the full team except Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. You can’t lose a game to a side like the West Indies,” he added.
Further, Srikkanth questioned Nitish Kumar Reddy’s inclusion as an all-rounder. Interestingly, Reddy conceded 50 runs in 6.5 overs without scalping a wicket. Also, Srikkanth was disappointed with Reddy as a batter.
“Once the ball bounces slightly high, Nitish Kumar Reddy is a case and struggles. He keeps bowling even as he’s getting smashed. They are adamant on making him an all-rounder somehow. It’s not a good sign for Indian cricket. His batting also looks suspect on bouncy wickets,” he concluded.
Delving into the details of the third and final ODI, India batted first and posted a daunting total of 351/7 in 50 overs. KL Rahul (129*), Rohit Sharma (92), and Ruturaj Gaikwad (57) were the top scorers.
In the chase, the West Indies sealed the deal in 48.2 overs with five wickets in hand. Shai Hope was the top scorer with an unbeaten 162-run knock off 143 balls with 17 fours and three sixes. Amir Jangoo also shone with 67 runs off 56 balls.
