Former Indian cricketer Venkatesh Prasad raised many concerns about the current Indian cricket team following their defeat in the second ODI against the West Indies on Saturday, July 29, 2023. Prasad took to Twitter to express his dissatisfaction, saying that the team had grown accustomed to mediocrity and was far from championship quality.
He pointed out that India's ODI series losses against Bangladesh, South Africa, and Australia, as well as poor performances in the last two T20 World Cups, showed a very ordinary approach to the shorter formats of the game. "Test cricket aside, India has been very ordinary in the other two formats for quite sometime now. Lost odi series against ban, SA and Aus. Poor in the last two T20 World Cups," Prasad remarked on Twitter on July 30.
He added that the team is also nowhere near cricketing powerhouses like England Australia, despite the money pouring into the BCCI and the power they command. "Neither are we an exciting team like England nor brutal like how the Aussies used to be.
"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 is also a factor for underperformance over a period of time," the former India pacer added.
In the second ODI against West Indies, India were all out for 182 runs as they tried to experiment with their batting line-up. With stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli rested, Sanju Samson and Axar Patel were given a chance to shine with the bat but failed in their attempts. Instead, the Indian team fell short, losing the match to the Windies by four wickets.
Prasad has a history of criticising the Indian side. In the past, he has been openly critical of KL Rahul's performance in international and the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has questioned the selection of Sanju Samson for the national side.
The final ODI of the series against the West Indies is scheduled for August 1. With the series on the line, many expect Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to be included in the decider against Shai Hope's West Indies outfit.
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