'Indian team hai ya koi Science lab?' - Fans question Indian management's experimentation in second ODI against West Indies

Indian cricket (Source: Twitter)

India lost the second ODI against West Indies, a team that failed to defeat teams like Netherlands, Scotland, and Zimbabwe in the recently concluded World Cup qualifiers tournament. India rested some of its key players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the match. As a result, India could not post enough runs on the board.  

The Indian management tried to test the bench strength of the Indian team before the big tournaments like Asia Cup and ODI World Cup. But the players, especially batters, could not perform to the expectations of the management. The start of the Indian innings was pretty well. The opening pair of Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill posted 90 runs in 16.5 overs for the first wicket.  

Failure of the Indian middle order 

What followed was an absolute shocker. The wicket of Shubman Gill began a collapse that never ended. From 90/0 at one stage, India was bundled out for a total of 181 runs in 40.5 overs. In 24 overs, India scored only 91 runs and lost 10 wickets. The middle order failed, big time. It was an unreal collapse with no application from the batters whatsoever.  

West Indies chased the target in 36.4 overs by 6 wickets and levelled the series. The target was just enough for the bowlers to defend the total. India probably underestimated West Indies and rested the duo of Kohli and Sharma. While it can be good to test the players, it is not good to test the way the Indian management did in the second ODI. Axar Patel, a designated finisher lately, was asked to bat at number 4.   

The selection was made in such a way that all the finishers were stacked in the middle order. No batter could anchor the innings in case of a collapse. India realized that there is no batter in the current setup who can save the team from a collapse. With experience, the youngsters will learn. But with just three months to go for the big tournament, it is worth wondering if too much experiment is necessary. 

Here's how the fans reacted to India's loss in the second ODI: 

MSD used to rotate the players and keep only one or two seniors on rot with juniors being given consistent chances . That was the preparation for WC and the result was for everyone to see . The current management is just selective in giving chances. Samson is mismanaged by BCCI.

— Manoj M (@Manojam17) July 30, 2023

What answers do they get vo to nahi pta hai? Par sawaal jarur uth gaye ki kya aise jeetenge bhai 2023 ke world Cup se phele 2027 ki taiyari chal rahi hai smjh nahi aa raha kuch🤷‍♂️

— Akash Tiwari (@mr_tripathi_05) July 29, 2023

Inko Sabhi sawalo ke jawab dene the, jawab to diye nhi pr naye sawal mil gye??🤣🤣

— Jayant khandelwal (@Jayantwt) July 29, 2023

We are still experimenting only, Why does Hardik plays always let down the team when needed

— Vikram Raj (@Vikramr61890795) July 29, 2023

nothing! Team Management shd know T20 players cant play ODI format!

— Rudra Das (@RudraPintu) July 30, 2023

Experiment Experiment and Experiment, India team hai, ya koi science ki lab???

Inhone team ko joker bnaa k rakh dia..

World Cup m kuch rah gaya, aur ye pagalo k tarah experiment kr rahe hai...@BCCI what do you want, match dekhna band krde kya????

— Suraj Rana (@isj_rana) July 30, 2023

I think the bigger problem is not having a fixed squad of 13-15 players? When was the last time same playing 11 played around 80% or more games through out the year? Work load management for international games but IPL poora khelenge

— e_buddy (@SiMpLeNhApPy) July 29, 2023

sack this man asap 😤 pic.twitter.com/7RRfu8yEFw

— ICT fan 💔😴🇮🇳 (@3rd_ventricle) July 29, 2023

Under coach Rahul Dravid

India lost Asia cup
India lost WTC final
India lost T20 world cup
India lost ODI series in Bangladesh
India lost series deciding Test in England
India lost Test series 2-1 and ODI series 3-0 in South Africa

Asia cup and world cup now ??

— Shubman Gang (@ShubmanGang) July 29, 2023

pic.twitter.com/I8X80Q2u0T

— Ansh Shah (@asmemesss) July 29, 2023