Venkatesh Prasad slams Indian cricket team, says, 'India lost to a team that didn't make the World Cup'

On Sunday at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill, Florida, Team India took a shocking beating from West Indies. All of the buzz about the squad being on the verge of a historic comeback with the T20I series victory over the West Indies was dashed when the opposite team won by eight wickets to win their first-ever bilateral match against the team India.

After the disappointing performance by Men In Blue, Former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad attacked captain Hardik Pandya and head coach Rahul Dravid for their "ordinary" white-ball play and poor strategic decisions in the series. Prasad emphasised that the team's performance in the ODI series was ordinary and reiterated his comment when India lost against Bangladesh in the 50-over format last year of a "very ordinary limited-overs side" after India fell behind West Indies.

In the fifth and final T20I of the series, Suryakumar Yadav chose to bat first. With his 61 off 45, he fought alone against the West Indies and helped India to 165 for nine. After an outstanding 107-run stand between Brandon King and Nicholas Pooran, Shai Hope added the final touches to the chase and with two overs remaining, West Indies completed its 166-run chase.

"India has been a very very ordinary limited overs side for sometime now. They have been humbled by a West Indies side that failed to qualify for the T20 WC few months back. We had also lost to Ban in the ODI series. Hope they introspect instead of making silly statements," Prasad tweeted.

"Not just 50 overs, West Indies had failed to qualify for the T20 World cup last Oct- Nov as well. It pains to see India perform poorly and brush it under the carpet, under the garb of process. That hunger, fire is missing and we live in an illusion," he added.

When a user asked him about captain Hardik and head coach Dravid, he said: “They are responsible for the debacle and need to be accountable. Process and such words are misused now. MS meant it, guys now just use the word. There is no consistency in selection, random stuff happening too much. India needs to improve their skillset. Their is a hunger & intensity deficiency & often the captain looked clueless. Bowler’s can’t bat, batsmen can’t bowl. It’s important to not look for yes men and be blinded because someone is your favourite player but look at the larger good.”

“India needs to improve their skillset. Their is a hunger & intensity deficiency & often the captain looked clueless. Bowler’s can’t bat, batsmen can’t bowl. It’s important to not look for yes men and be blinded because someone is your favourite player but look at the larger good,” he added.

This is not the first time that Prasad has commented so strongly on the Indian cricket team’s performance. Previously as well, after India lost the second ODI against West Indies, even though the West Indies team was out of form, Prasad questioned the team’s performance. He said, “Test cricket aside, India has been very ordinary in the other two formats for quite sometime now. Lost odi series against ban, SA and Aus. Poor in the last two T20 World Cups. Neither are we an exciting team like England nor brutal like how the Aussies used to be (sic).”

This repeatedly disappointing performance by the Indian cricket team, as mentioned by Prasad when the World Cup is around the corner, indeed puts a question mark on the dreams of getting the cup home.