"India has just 3 ODIs before the Champions Trophy" - Wasim Jaffer raises concern after Men in Blue's series defeat against SL
Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer raised concerns about Men in Blue's preparations for the 2025 Champions Trophy, saying that they have only a handful of games left before the mega ICC event. The comments came after Rohit Sharma and company went down against Sri Lanka 0-2 in the three-match ODI series.
This was India's first ODI assignment under new head coach Gautam Gambhir, and the new coach didn't have a great start. While the first game ended in a tie, the 2023 ODI World Cup runner-ups went down in the next two outings by 32 and 110 runs, respectively, to lose the series.
Reviewing the series on X, Jaffer reckoned that Sri Lanka were the better team throughout the three games. He added that while he isn't bothered about India's series loss, he seemed concerned by the fact that the Men in Blue have only three games before the Champions Trophy next year.
"SL played better cricket and deserve the series win. It doesn't worry me that India lost a series. Wins and losses are part of the game. However it's a point of concern that India has just 3 ODIs before the Champions Trophy. #SLvIND," Jaffer wrote on his X account.
India's next ODI series is scheduled for February next year when they square off against England in a three-match series at home.
"There are a lot of areas we need to look" - Indian skipper Rohit Sharma after series defeat
This is the first time the Men in Blue went down to the Lankans in a bilateral ODI series since 1997. It was a complete thrashing as the visitors were no match to Sri Lanka's spinners.
Rohit Sharma admitted there are certain areas they need to work on and look forward to bouncing back from the defeat. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony after the final game, Rohit stated (via Cricbuzz):
"There are a lot of areas we need to look at rather than the positives from this series because we need to be better prepared when we come across such conditions next time. These things happen, series loss is not the end of the world, you will lose an odd series here and there but it is about how you come back after the loss."
What changes do the Men in Blue need to make in their ODI side? Let us know in the comments.