Rahul Dravid Unveils Million-Dollar Answer After India's Loss
As West Indies’ inflicted a six-wicket loss to India in the second ODI of the three-game series, which was supposed to be wrapped up on Saturday night in Barbados, the series is now unexpectedly down to the last game. While the management rested Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma, the bowlers ensured India barely made it through the series opener on Thursday. However, critics of the team’s experimental approach to the game criticized the batters for their continued struggles. Head coach Rahul Dravid rested the two veteran batsmen for the second ODI game after the team’s defeat on Saturday.
India’s young batsmen falter, West Indies triumph
Had India’s attempt to chase down 115 runs not failed, Rohit and Kohli would have hardly batted in the series opener at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. As the World Cup auditions draw to a close, both of the game’s veterans made room for the younger batters to play and warm up. However, subsequent wickets saw Rohit enter at No. 7 and make sure Kohli, at No. 8, wasn’t needed.
On Saturday, the management put the two on the sidelines and named Hardik as captain, allowing the youthful batting lineup the freedom to take advantage of the situation. But much like in the previous game, no other hitters stepped up, and India posted a disgraceful score of 181, which West Indies chased down in 36.4 overs, losing four wickets. Ishan Kishan, who got his second consecutive fifty, was the only batter to show up.
Rahul Dravid: West Indies series crucial for world cup auditions
After the game, Rahul Dravid addressed the media and said that the West Indies series was their final opportunity to try out these new things before the Asia Cup and World Cup. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul’s comeback from injury is questionable, therefore the management had to give the backup alternatives some playing experience to keep them match-ready in the worst-case scenario, he said.
Sincerely, this was our final opportunity to test out some of our athletes. Four of our players have injuries, and they are currently undergoing treatment at the NCA. We are kind of running out of time in a lot of respects as the Asia Cup and the World Cup approach. And while we’re hopeful some of them will be for the World Cup and the Asia Cup, we can’t take any risks. We must give other individuals a chance and a chance at success so that, in the worst-case scenario, they at least have gaming experience.
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Additionally, it provides us the chance to choose some players. Playing Kohli and Rohit in a series like this with 2-3 games remaining before the Asia Cup would not have provided us with any solutions. We simply wanted to give others an opportunity because of the injuries we have in the NCA and some uncertainty surrounding them, Dravid remarked.
With the series on the line, India will decide whether to stick with their experimentation in the third and final ODI game, scheduled for August 1.
