Venkatesh Prasad Rips Into “Very Very Ordinary” India, Aims Subtle Dig At Hardik Pandya After 2nd T20I Loss | Cricket News

India skipper Hardik Pandya has been hailed by many for his leadership qualities but the first two T20Is between India and West Indies haven’t done his reputation much favour. With the Indian team trailing the 5-match series 0-2, Hardik’s captaincy decisions in the 2nd T20I, particularly involving Yuzvendra Chahal, have been subjected to heavy criticism. Former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, a staunch critic of the team, took a subtle dig at the skipper, questioning his reluctance to use Chahal in the death overs on Sunday.

Despite the fact that Chahal was one of India’s finest bowlers in the game, Hardik decided against giving him the ball for his 4th over. The skipper’s decision left many fans and former cricketers baffled.

“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,” Prasad wrote while criticising the Indain team’s poor show in T20Is.

“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,” Prasad wrote on X (formerly Twitter), questioning Hardik’s decision to not persist with Chahal.

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.

— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) August 7, 2023

Hardik’s decision-making in the game was a head-scratcher for many. At the post-match presentation ceremony, however, the India skipper put the entire blame for the team’s defeat on the batters. With three matches still to go in the series, Hardik would be eager for a turnaround.