India vs West Indies, 3rd ODI: 3 reasons why India lost the match

#2 India’s middle-order troubles

Both the cricket experts and fans wanted India’s middle order to be tested before the World Cup and the opportunity was ripe today. Rohit Sharma was dismissed early and Dhawan was dismissed by Nurse after a well made 35. There was ample time for the middle order batsmen to get set and finish the innings. This was Rayudu’s golden chance to score big and cement his place in the team but he failed to utilize the opportunity. MSD has been out of form for some time now and he would have surely liked to send a message to the selectors after getting dropped from the T20 squad.

Unlike his last few innings, he rotated the strike right from ball one but was dismissed for 7 after getting an outside edge while trying to guide the ball to the third man. Pant played an entertaining knock but the situation demanded patience and rotation of strike. His penchant for adventurous shots proved detrimental to India’s hopes of winning the match as he was dismissed while trying to sweep the ball from outside the off stump.

India need to sort their middle order problems before the tournament next year, else it could prove detrimental to their chances.