Former cricketer Madan Lal has fired shots at Team India after their ODI series defeat against Bangladesh. The Men in Blue suffered humiliating defeats in the first two games of the series to concede the three-match series with one match still to go.
India lost the second fixture by five runs as they failed to chase down 272 runs target. Skipper Rohit Sharma, who had a dislocated finger, put in a valiant effort batting at No.9 but wasn’t able to take his side home.
Lal claimed that the team is not going in the right direction with less than 12 months to go for the ODI World Cup at home. He also asserted that the players didn’t have any passion to play for the country.
“Definitely the Indian team is not going in the right direction. I have not seen the intensity in the team off late. I have not seen ‘Josh’ in them in the last couple of years,” Madan Lal told PTI in an interview.
“They are not looking like an Indian team at all. That passion of playing for the country is missing. Either their bodies are too tired or they are just going through the motions. And this is a serious concern,” he added.Â
“If your top order does not perform, you are not going to win” – Madan Lal
Madan Lal also put the blame on top-order batters for India’s not-so-impressive performance in recent times.
“If you see the record, how many centuries they (seniors) have scored in the last three years? And how many in the last year? With the age factor, your hand-eye coordination slows down.
“But they are experienced players and they should have performed better. If your top order does not perform, you are not going to win,” he concluded.Â
With the series done and dusted, India will look to salvage some pride in the third and final ODI against Bangladesh scheduled to take place in Chattogram on December 10.
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