"Team Is Going Backwards": India Star's Explosive Verdict On Bowlers After 3rd ODI Loss vs West Indies

Anshul Kamboj (right) bowling during the third ODI cricket match between India and West Indies.

Out-of-favour India batter Hanuma Vihari has pointed out issues with the senior men's team's bowling attack after the side lost to the West Indies in the third ODI despite scoring 351 in the first innings. The match took place in Mullanpur, where Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to bat first. Having already sealed the series by winning the first two games, the Indian team put up yet another brilliant batting show, powered by KL Rahul's heroic 129 not out off just 87 deliveries.

While there were high expectations of India defending the total, the bowlers failed to do the job as the West Indies reached the target in 48.2 overs.

"We could not defend 350. Is this not a wake-up call? I think the team is going backwards. This is a big blow. This has happened on very rare occasions when the Indian team has failed to defend 350. This bowling attack certainly has to be investigated. They conceded 405 in the previous match as well," Hanuma said in a video on his YouTube channel, as quoted by Sportskeeda.

Hanuma Vihari added that India missed a proper fifth bowler in the third ODI against the West Indies.

"Gurnoor was okay. There are some fitness concerns with him. Nitish was also okay. Siraj was decent, I would not say it was world-class from him. Kuldeep also looked a bit off-colour. Naman bowled decently but with such a fifth-bowling option, while defending 350, you need a better alternative. That is where the bowling has been exposed. This is where they are really missing Hardik and Bumrah," he said.

"The backup bowlers were also off-colour. Kamboj bowled at a better pace, which was good to see. But there is still a long way to go. I think Prasidh will be a regular from here. They will still try Gurnoor and Kamboj. Siraj is returning to the side. They have tried Auqib and Nitish as well. They are trying to find a solution. It is not a great stage to be in just one year before the World Cup," Vihari added.

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