Coach Rahul Dravid must have anticipated some awkward questions before India’s six-wicket loss to the West Indies in the second One-Day International at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday. West Indies captain Shai Hope threw the ball, and the visitors slumped to a low score of 181 in 40.5 overs, which the hosts chased down with 80 balls left. The Windies are still in shock over missing out on the World Cup.
Even if there are only 11 ODIs remaining before the World Cup and it was a tricky wicket, a total of 240 may have produced a different outcome. Still, India’s decision to keep experimenting is sure to divide opinion. Virat Kohli and the captain, Rohit Sharma, were rested, while Axar Patel was intriguingly moved up to the No. 4 position.
Should India give every player a chance before their first World Cup game against Australia on October 8 at Chepauk? Or start using the strongest team possible in order to let the puzzle pieces fall into place?
In the post-game presser, Dravid said, “This was honestly our last chance to be able to try out some of our players.” ” We have a handful of our National Cricket Academy (NCA) guys who are injured. The team is running out of time in many ways with one month until the Asia Cup. We can’t take those chances, but we are hopeful that at least some of them will be ready for the Asia Cup and the World Cup. We must give other people an opportunity and test them out so that, in the worst situation, they at least have game experience. It provides us with the chance to select players.
Dravid is indicating Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer as the players. In an effort to be ready for the major event, they are all now receiving treatment for their individual ailments at the NCA in Bengaluru. Dravid seems to be preparing for the eventuality that these players won’t be ready for the World Cup and Asia Cup by stating that India hopes they will be.
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Because of this, even if the one-day series against the West Indies is tied 1-1 going into the final ODI on Tuesday, Dravid will keep an eye on the bigger picture.
“We need to consider the wider picture given our current injury situation and the impending major competitions. Every game and every series cannot be a source of concern. I believe it would be a mistake if we did that,” he remarked.
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