Explosive cricket action unfolded on Sunday as India’s T20 International squad faced West Indies at Florida’s Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground. Ahead of the match, sports enthusiasts dared to predict an impressive series comeback for the Indian team. However, their hopes were dashed rather speedily as their Caribbean opponents seized an arresting eight-wicket victory. This triumph marks a historic first for the West Indies team, who managed to secure their inaugural bilateral contest win against the Men in Blue.
India needs to improve their skillset. Their is a hunger & intensity deficiency & often the captain looked clueless. Bowler’s can’t bat, batsmen can’t bowl.
It’s important to not look for yes men and be blinded because someone is your favourite player but look at the larger good— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) August 13, 2023
Former cricketer for team India, Venkatesh Prasad, didn’t hold back in expressing his disappointment. He challenged the performance of captain Hardik Pandya alongside head coach Rahul Dravid, taking issue with their strategical decisions which ultimately led to what Prasad deemed an “ordinary” performance.
The final match of the series had India bat first, with cricketer Suryakumar Yadav standing as a solitary figure against an aggressive West Indies lineup. His tenacious effort to score 61 out of 45 saw India muster a mildly respectable total of 165 for nine. The chase was almost brought to an untimely close by the potent partnership between Brandon King and Nicholas Pooran, who contributed to an impressive 107-run stance. It was ultimately left up to Shai Hope to ensure an emphatic close to the chase. The West Indies successfully earned the required 166 runs with two overs to spare.
Upon the series conclusion, Prasad reiterated his previous criticisms of India’s performance, drawing comparisons to last year’s loss against Bangladesh and their mediocre showing in the ODI series, “India has been a very, very ordinary limited overs side for some time now. They have been humbled by a West Indies side that failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup a few months back. We also lost to Bangladesh in the ODI series. Hope they introspect instead of making silly statements,” he expressed on Twitter.
Prasad, once a respected coach for the Indian bowling unit, declared the current team management’s handling of the situation to be sorely lacking. In his gaze, the Indian white-ball cricket team seemed bereft of the “fire and hunger” once characteristic of their play, which is now needed as they look towards the Asia Cup and the World Cup in the ODI format, “It pains to see India perform poorly and brush it under the carpet, under the guise of process. That hunger, fire is missing, and we live in an illusion,” he added.
In light of captain Hardik and head coach Dravid’s decisions, Prasad minced no words in his criticism, “They are responsible for the debacle and need to be accountable. Their lack of consistency in selection shows a random occurrence happening too often. India needs to improve their skillset. They’re lacking in hunger & intensity. Bowlers can’t bat, and batsmen can’t bowl. Looking for yes men and playing favourites won’t serve the greater good,” he claimed.
Looking ahead, a three-match T20I series against Ireland awaits a Jasprit Bumrah-led Team India, sans stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik. Following Ireland, a campus at the National Cricket Academy will host the squad’s preparation for the Asia Cup later on in the month. Despite recent setbacks, cricket enthusiasts worldwide will be eagerly anticipating an exciting series of matches filled with drama, stratagem and skills.
