The three-game series, which was expected to conclude on Saturday evening in Barbados, has taken an unexpected turn as West Indies shocked India with a six-wicket defeat in the second ODI match. Throughout the series, India has been experimenting with their lineup, and while they narrowly escaped defeat in the opener on Thursday thanks to their bowlers, the absence of Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma raised eyebrows and drew criticism from experts and fans alike. The decision to rest these two senior batters seemed puzzling to many. Following the loss on Saturday, head coach Rahul Dravid shed light on the reasoning behind their absence.
In the series opener at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Rohit and Kohli hardly had the chance to bat, as India's chase of 115 was cut short by a collapse. The intention was to provide younger batters with valuable game time and prepare them for potential World Cup selection. However, due to a flurry of wickets, Rohit found himself walking in at No.7, and Kohli, at No.8, was not required to bat.
In the second ODI match on Saturday, both players were benched, and Hardik Pandya assumed the role of captain. The young batting lineup was given the freedom to seize the opportunity. Unfortunately, apart from Ishan Kishan, who scored his second consecutive fifty, the rest of the batters failed to deliver, resulting in India posting a humiliating score of 181. West Indies chased down the target in 36.4 overs, losing only four wickets in the process.
Speaking to the media after the defeat, Dravid elaborated on how the West Indies series provided them with a final opportunity to conduct these experiments before embarking on the Asia Cup and subsequently the World Cup. He emphasized that due to the uncertainty surrounding the return of injured players Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, the management had to allocate game time to the backup options. This was crucial to ensure their readiness in the event of a worst-case scenario.
"Honestly, this was our last chance to try some of our players. We have got four of our players who are injured and are in the NCA. With days to go for the Asia Cup and then the World Cup, we are kind of running out of time in a lot of ways. And we are hoping that some of them will be for the Asia Cup and the World Cup but we can't take those chances. We have to try out other people and give them chances so that in worst case scenario they at least have game time behind them.
It also gives us the opportunity to make some decisions on players. Honestly in a series like this with 2-3 matches to go before the Asia Cup, playing Kohli and Rohit would have not given us any answers. But with the injuries we have in the NCA and some uncertainty around them we just wanted to give others a chance," Dravid said.
As the series hangs in the balance, it remains uncertain whether India will persist with their experimental approach in the upcoming third and final ODI match, scheduled for August 1st.
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