THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When India were decimating the West Indies, one man was watching proceedings with shock. Ricardo Powell, former West Indies batsman, did not expect his team to go down in such tame manner.
“The first three matches and the last two games, the way they have played, it’s like chalk and cheese,” Powell told Express. He said much was expected from the team after they put up spirited efforts in the first few games.
“Sans a few like Marlon Samuels and Jason Holder, the rest are pretty young and not used to this kind of environment. They need to play these sorts of competitive games to improve.”
Powell said the problem that West Indies cricket faces is lack of exposure and match practice. “We’ve a domestic system in place, but we play domestic cricket for a maximum of three months. That’s not enough.”
Kohli praises duo
India skipper Virat Kohli said the performance of Khaleel Ahmed and Ambati Rayudu were the takeaways from the ODI series. He said Khaleel adds variety as left-armer, while Rayudu has been performing well at No 4. Kohli added that Ravindra Jadeja has matured a lot over time and his presence adds balance to the side. Kohli added that MS Dhoni is an integral part of the squad and he was dropped from the T20 side to give space to Rishabh Pant.
Opportunity lost: Law
West Indies coach Stuart Law said his young players missed out on an opportunity to cement their places in the World Cup squad. However, he added that doors are not closed as matches against Bangladesh would also count. He lauded Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Oshane Thomas, but added that the team did not play to their potential in the last two games.