Sourav Ganguly isn't pleased with the exclusion of KL Rahul and wants him to be in the playing XI as he feels Rahul could provide better balance to the Indian batting line-up which is currently suffering because of poor middle-order.
India lost the third ODI after no one provided support to the Indian captain Virat Kohli in the 284-run chase. The collapse led to a 43 runs defeat and series now stands with 1-1.
"India has a lot to think about. I still believe Lokesh Rahul shouldn’t be sitting out," wrote Ganguly in his column for Times of India. "The middle-order desperately needs to be given a good look. The selectors are leaving it too late."
West Indies surprised India with their fightback in the series. After a one-sided game in the first match at Guwahati, the visitors tied the next game and won the third one after a superb bowling display which was their weak zone in the opening encounter.
Ganguly praised the Windies and wrote, "What the West Indies missed out on by a whisker at Vizag was achieved by them at Pune on Saturday. It was indeed an impressive victory by Jason Holder and his boys which means that the series is now set up nicely for some exciting cricket over the last two games."
"After a very one-sided Test series, the West Indies have really put up a very impressive show in limited-overs. Holder has been impressed with his leadership abilities and the likes of Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, and Ashley Nurse have indicated that all is not down in the dumps for Caribbean cricket."
Ganguly advised everyone to enjoy Virat's brilliance with the bat instead of being busy in comparing him with former greats.
"Coming to India, once again it has totally been a Virat Kohli show. One is at a loss of words when it comes to talking about his superlative talent," wrote Ganguly.
"There are already a lot of comparisons. Some are saying his talent and domination are of ‘Bradmansque’ proportions, some are already commenting on whether he will go past the Sachin ‘100’. Comparisons have also featured Brian Lara and Viv Richards but my point is simple: let statistics take care of themselves. Rather, what we should be doing is sitting back and enjoying this man’s class. Along with his ability as a player what stands out is his hunger for runs," he added.
