Indian batter Hanuma Vihari questioned India’s bowling performance after the three-match ODI series against the West Indies, which the hosts won by 2-1. India conceded 405 runs in the second game at Guwahati and then could not defend despite putting 351 runs on the board at New Chandigarh on Saturday.
Debutant Anshul Kamboj conceded 82 runs in nine overs he bowled in the third ODI, whereas Auqib Nabi Dar was taken for 84 runs in 8.5 overs he bowled on his debut in the second game.
Gurnoor Brar was also expensive throughout the series, as he conceded runs at an economy rate of 7.54 and bowled with an average of 73.33.
“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,” Hanuma Vihari said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Vihari added that India missed the services of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya in their bowling attack.
“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.”
The right-handed batter believes India are not in a good state ahead of the ODI World Cup next year.
“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.
India’s next ODI series is against New Zealand.
