IND v AUS 2020: West Indies legend blasts Indian bowlers for lack of wickets in first 2 ODIs
West Indies bowling great Michael Holding was critical of India's bowling after they were only able to take a combined ten wickets in the first two ODIs against Australia.
India also leaked plenty of runs, with the Aussies crossing the 370-run mark in both of their innings.
Michael Holding certainly did not hold back in his assessment of the Indian bowlers. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said:
"This (lack of wickets) is where India are struggling. If your opening bowlers aren't able to get wickets, if they can't set back the opposition and prevent them from getting to such solid starts in every ODI, you will struggle as a fielding team. Australia got a bigger score in the second game, 389! I'm not saying teams can't chase down those big scores, but it puts extra pressure on you when you have to chase those big scores, irrespective of whether the pitch is a good one or not."
The high totals left India with a mountain to climb as Australia sealed the series win with one match to go.
Hardik Pandya bowling again is a positive for India: Michael Holding
Michael Holding believes that fans will be encouraged by the fact that Hardik Pandya was able to bowl four overs in the second ODI against Australia. Pandya was very economical during his spell and took the key wicket of Steve Smith.
Michael Holding said:
"One thing India can look at as a positive is that Hardik Pandya, who was struggling to get back in the rhythm as a bowler, bowled four overs, which means that he is possibly on his way back to taking a bigger role with the ball."
India have sorely missed Pandya's bowling in this series, with Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja all going for runs, and Jasprit Bumrah struggling to get going. Virat Kohli was forced to turn to Mayank Agarwal in the second ODI, but the opening batsman only bowled one over.