- True connoisseurs of cricket, including experts and ex-players alike, would nod in agreement that a bilateral 50-over One-Day International series simply does not make any competitive sense since it lacks context as well as real contest. With the plethora of cricket available for consumption almost right through the year, why would even die-hard fans be eagerly looking forward to enthusiastically partake bilateral ODIs in the first place? Yes, thousands of fans would like to watch their superstars take the field and showcase skills with consummate ease. But is this all what cricket crazy fans would really wish to witness? The moot point to ponder over here is why, at all, even bilateral series are scheduled with the ensuing T20 World Cup just days ahead.
PC: BBC
- Beats anybody’s guesses, you see. The recently concluded three-match ODI series between Team India and New Zealand perfectly embodies this predicament. What did the BCCI mandarins achieve with the series in the first place? Most embarrassingly, Team India was upstaged by the visiting New Zealanders, who were without eight regular players. The ease with which the visitors went about subduing the home favourites raises further questions about the whole composition of Team India, who are looking forward to the 2027 World Cup scheduled in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Remember, Team India was at its full strength, including two modern-day 50-over greats, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The results are disheartening.
PC: Times of India
- However, the series was lost 1-2 with New Zealanders literally batting out Team India with asublime display of classic one-day cricket. What must be worrying the BCCI and the Team Management is the ease with which the visitors are rolling Team India of late. Apart from losing the Test series in a humiliating manner to New Zealand, 3-0 whitewashing, and to South Africa 2-0 last year, now losing the ODI series must be causing real heartburn. What’s happening with Team India? It looks like every visiting teams are having a fun time in rolling over the home team with absolute ease and panache. What’s the roadmap from now on, since Team India is not scheduled to play many ODIs leading up to the marquee World Cup?
PC: NDTV Sports
- As is his wont, Virat Kohli is in sublime form, notching up impressive scores, showcasing to the cricketing community that neither his hunger for runs has dried up nor his passion to pursue the sport in right earnest. While this endeavour of Kohli augurs well for Team India, the talismanic batter plays only the 50-over format. Knowing Kohli, he would be gearing up for the marquee event with all guns blazing. The worry must be about Rohit Sharma. Rohit’s meagre returns of late are a cause for concern. Mere cameos at the top will not suffice. He must score big runs consistently. Does he have the hunger till the ensuing World Cup? That’s the question. And Nitish Kumar Reddy is not a like-for-like replacement of Hardik Pandya. Interesting times ahead.
 and South Africa (2-0). While Virat Kohli maintains sublime form, Rohit Sharma's inconsistent returns and the lack of a proper Hardik Pandya replacement highlight structural weaknesses, with limited ODI fixtures scheduled before the marquee event to address these growing concerns.){kind=link}