‘We become used to celebrate mediocrity’ – Former India cricketer slams Indian management for poor performance against WI in ODIs

In the second ODI, the West Indies managed to defeat India by six wickets in Barbados, levelling the series 1-1. The loss came as India rested Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, aiming to provide opportunities to other players ahead of the marquee ODI World Cup. However, this decision received criticism from fans and former players, with former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad being the latest to express his disapproval.

Prasad took a massive jibe at the Indian team management and the Board, highlighting that despite being the richest board in the world, India seems far from a champion side. He pointed out India’s ordinary performances in the limited-overs formats and criticised their approach and attitude towards the game. Prasad’s critical stance towards the Indian team management has been evident on several occasions, as he has voiced his concerns about players like KL Rahul and others.

“Test cricket aside, India has been very ordinary in the other two formats for quite some time now and lost the ODI series against the ban, SA and Aus. Poor in the last two T20 World Cups. Neither are we an exciting team like England nor brutal like how the Aussies used to be,” Prasad tweeted.

“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 are also factors in underperformance over time,” he added.

How did the West Indies win the second game against India?

In the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the Indian batters struggled to make an impact in the second game. While openers Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill provided a promising start, the rest of the batting lineup failed to capitalise on the opportunity. The collapse resulted in India being bundled up for a mere 181 runs.

On the other hand, the West Indies put up an impressive performance, with captain Shai Hope leading the way with an unbeaten 63 off 80 balls. Young talent Keacy Carty also contributed with an unbeaten 48 off 65 balls, leading the hosts to victory with a partnership of 91 runs for the fifth wicket. The win allowed the West Indies to break a streak of nine consecutive bilateral losses since December 2019.