Ravichandran Ashwin Points Out "Big Concern" For India Ahead Of New Zealand ODIs

Former all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin criticised the Indian bowlers for their below-par performances during the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. Despite winning the series 3-2, Shreyas Iyer and Co have come under scrutiny for their team selections and the inconsistent displays from the bowling unit. After winning the first three matches to take an unassailable lead, India suffered a dip in form, losing the final two games. In two of the five matches, the bowlers conceded more than 200 runs, exposing vulnerabilities in the attack.

Reflecting on India's performance, Ashwin took aim at the bowlers and questioned the team management's planning. He also urged Iyer and his teammates to address the issue as quickly as possible.

"It is a big concern. Look at how many times we have conceded over 200 runs. Especially in the last few games. I am praising the team. But you need to look into the bowling before it gets worse. There are new guys in the bowling lineup," said Ashwin on 'Ash Ki Baat'.

"But what I am finding difficult to understand is what planning do they have? What are the talks in the meetings? If you don't address this, it will keep getting bigger. So I am concerned. There were some basic errors," he added.

Ashwin, however, reserved praise for the Indian batters, highlighting the explosive performances of Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma, among others, throughout the series.

"Abhishek played a stunning innings. Sanju had one good innings. Vaibhav, Ishan, Tilak, all this is expected. For me, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tilak Varma, and Naman Dhir were the positives. What they did is something we can carry forward. India definitely have to work on T20 bowling without Bumrah. Forget about the skills. Planning and execution were very average," he said.

Following their T20I series triumph, India will once again face New Zealand in a five-match ODI series, which gets underway on Wednesday in Auckland.

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