Batting Struggles and Bowling Decisions Under Scrutiny as India Faces Must-Win Situation
In a disheartening turn of events, former Indian pace sensation Venkatesh Prasad voiced his dismay over the lackluster performance of the Men in Blue during the second T20 International (T20I) against the West Indies in Guyana on Sunday. The Indian team's batting woes persisted, barely managing to cross the 150-run mark, and the bowling unit displayed marked ineffectiveness for a significant part of the match.
Prasad, known for his candid opinions, has previously emphasized India's struggle to adopt the required style of play in white-ball formats. On Monday, he revisited this point, highlighting the apparent lack of vigor exhibited by the players on the field.
Taking to Twitter, Venkatesh Prasad expressed his views in a series of tweets, stating, "Very very ordinary. No point in brushing it aside. After the 2007 T20 World Cup, IPL started and we haven't won a T20 World Cup in 7 attempts since, making only 1 finals. The intensity and hunger to win needs to be far more."
The West Indies appeared to be sailing smoothly toward victory, requiring just 27 runs from 36 balls, when an unexpected collapse saw them lose four wickets in the span of a mere six runs. With only 21 runs needed off 18 balls, it seemed inevitable that skipper Hardik Pandya would allow Yuzvendra Chahal to complete his full quota of four overs.
Surprisingly, despite Chahal taking two crucial wickets in his previous over, he was inexplicably held back, leading to a critical oversight. Venkatesh Prasad weighed in on this matter, commenting, "Yesterday after Yuzi took 2 wkts in the 16th and Yuzi got India back into the game in what was his third over and West Indies 8th down and he didn't bowl again and No 9 and 10 for WI found the pacers easy to handle. Should be smarter at these moments then just doing textbook stuff."
With the series hanging in the balance, India faces a do-or-die situation as they prepare to take on the West Indies in the upcoming T20I on Tuesday. The pressure is on for the Men in Blue to stage a comeback and secure victory to keep their hopes alive.