Delhi: In the third ODI against West Indies, Team India had to face a crushing defeat by 5 wickets. This defeat has raised many questions on the bowling of the Indian team. Batting first, India had scored a big score of 351 runs, but despite this the host team could not defend this target. West Indies won the match by scoring 352 runs losing 5 wickets in 48.2 overs.

After India's defeat, former cricketer Hanuma Vihari openly expressed his views about the team's bowling. He said that not being able to defend the score of 350 runs is a matter of concern and Team India seems to be going backward at the moment.

'Isn't this a wakeup call?'

Hanuma Vihari said on his YouTube channel that India not being able to defend even the score of 350 runs is a big setback.

Vihari said, “We could not defend 350 runs, isn't this a wakeup call? I think the team is going backwards. This is a big blow. This has happened on very few occasions when the Indian team has not been able to defend the score of 350 runs.”

He further said that there is a need to examine the current bowling attack, because even before this India had given away 405 runs in the second ODI against West Indies.

The absence of Bumrah and Hardik was clearly visible.

Vihari also cited the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya in Team India's bowling attack as a big reason. He believes that due to the absence of these two players, the team's bowling looked weak.

He said that many of the current bowlers were not close to their best performance. In such a situation, there is a need to strengthen the fifth bowling option also. According to Vihari, in the absence of Bumrah and Hardik, the weakness of the team's bowling has come to the fore.

Kamboj and Nitish wasted runs a lot

The performance of some of India's bowlers in the third ODI was very expensive. Anshul Kamboj gave 82 runs in 9 overs and did not get a single wicket. His economy was 9.10. Gurnoor Brar gave 64 runs in 9.1 overs, while Nitish Reddy gave 50 runs in 6.5 overs. Both got only one wicket each.

Vihari described Gurnoor's performance as fine, but also expressed concern about his fitness. He also described Mohammed Siraj as fine, but did not consider his performance as world class. At the same time, Kuldeep Yadav also did not seem to be in his rhythm.

'To save 350 runs, the fifth bowling option should be better'

Vihari said that while saving the score of 350 runs, the team should have a strong fifth bowling option. According to him, this deficiency cost India dearly in this match.

He said that Naman Dheer did a fine job in bowling, but while defending such a big score, the team needs a better option. This is where India's bowling was exposed.

Anxiety increased a year before the World Cup

The biggest challenge before India now is the preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup. There is about a year left in the tournament and the team is still experimenting with its bowling options.

Vihari said that India has tried options like Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Siraj, Aaqib and Nitish Reddy. That means the team is still looking for the right combination.

He said that Prasidh Krishna can become a regular option going forward, but a lot of work still remains regarding the backup bowlers. According to Vihari, being in this situation just a year before the World Cup is not a good thing for Team India.