Hanuma Vihari made a blunt remark about Team India’s bowling attack after their five-wicket defeat against the West Indies in the third ODI. The visitors chased down 352 in 48.2 overs.
As India failed to defend 351 against the West Indies, Hanuma Vihari reckoned the team was moving backwards and that the loss was a big blow.
“We could not defend 350. Is this not a wake-up call? I think the team is going backwards. This is a big blow. This has happened on very rare occasions when the Indian team fails to defend 350. This bowling attack certainly has to be investigated. They conceded 405 also in the previous match,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.
He reflected that the team missed Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya in the pace attack. With a lot of the bowlers not at their best, Hanuma Vihari called for the need to have a better fifth bowling option as well. He felt that the bowling was exposed without the likes of Bumrah and Hardik.
“Gurnoor was okay. There are some fitness concerns with him. Nitish was also okay. Siraj was decent, I would not say it was world class from him. Kuldeep also looked a bit off color. Naman bowled decently but with such a fifth bowling quota, while defending 350, you need a better option. That is where the bowling has been exposed. This is where they are really missing Hardik and Bumrah.”
Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy were particularly expensive in the third ODI. Kamboj returned figures of 0/82 from nine overs at an economy rate of 9.10. Brar gave away 64 runs from 9.1 overs at an economy rate of 7.00, while Reddy returned figures of 0/50 from 6.5 overs at an economy rate of 7.30.
Hanuma Vihari feels India are not in a good stage
With key bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya not present in the ODI side at the moment, Hanuma Vihari reckoned that India were still looking for solutions with just a year to go for the 2027 World Cup. He felt it was not a good position to be in.
“The backup bowlers were also off color. Kamboj bowled at a better pace which was good to see. But there is still a long way to go. I think Prasidh will be a regular from here. They will still try Gurnoor, Kamboj. Siraj is returning to the side. They have tried Auqib and Nitish as well. They are trying to find a solution. It is not a great stage to be in just one year before the World Cup,” he said.
The Men in Blue will now play five T20Is against the West Indies at home before travelling to New Zealand for an all-format tour. They will play five T20Is, five ODIs, and two Tests.
Edited by Rishab Vm