THIS Strategy Affecting Team India’s Performance in International Cricket

India came into the 2nd ODI of the three-match ODI series against South Africa to take an unassailable 2-0 lead at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur, on December 3.

And it even looked like they would achieve what they aimed for, but the Proteas had different things on their minds as they pulled off a magnificent 359 chase to shock one of the best cricket teams in the world, India and level the series 1-1. Multiple reasons could be considered as a reason why India failed to defend the total.

Was Gambhir’s Game Plan at Fault? India Unable to Protect a 358-Run Total

India's head coach Gautam Gambhir, who is already facing a lot of criticism, has come under the scanner once again after the IND vs SA 2nd ODI. Despite putting up a monumental total of 358 runs on the scoreboard, Indian bowlers somehow displayed one of their worst performances in the 50-over format. India's innings was anchored by one of the best batsmen in the world, Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored centuries, while KL Rahul finished the innings with a magnificent half-century.

Many thought that the total would be easily defended, but Aiden Markram refused to give up and smashed a century, helping the team win the match by four wickets. But the question is, what exactly went wrong in the second innings of the India vs South Africa ODI?

The first reason could be the team selection. India went with all-rounder Washington Sundar, who failed with the bat and bowled only four overs in the match. Interestingly, India had players like Rishabh Pant, Tilak Varma, Dhruv Jurel, and Nitish Kumar Reddy on the bench, but Gambhir felt it was right to go with Sundar.

The second reason will definitely be Prasidh Krishna. The right-arm pacer was extremely expensive with the ball, conceding 85 runs in 8.2 overs, while picking up two wickets. The Men in Blue could've instead gone with Nitish, who would've bowled and contributed with the bat as well. He's known for his aggressive batting, which he has shown in the Indian Premier League. The right-handed batter must've added some crucial runs to the scoreboard in the end.

However, the series now moves to the decider, which will be played on December 6. It would be interesting to see what changes Gambhir will make in the playing and their strategy to win the series.

However, the problem is that India doesn't have enough options in the bowling department, so it's a big headache for the management if they want to tweak the playing XI.