
India had rested their key players in the second ODI against West Indies to find some answers, said head coach Rahul Dravid after the loss. Hardik Pandya-led side was bundled out for just 181 in about 41 overs. The team management had rested Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the game and paid the price with a loss.
Dravid, however, explained the experiment as last chance to try out players before the Asia Cup and ICC ODI World Cup.
"Honestly, this was our last chance to try some of our players. We have got four of our players who are injured and are in the NCA. With days to go for the Asia Cup and then the World Cup, we are kind of running out of time in a lot of ways. And we are hoping that some of them will be available for the Asia Cup and the World Cup but we can't take those chances. We have to try out other people and give them chances so that in the worst-case scenario they at least have game time behind them."
"It also gives us the opportunity to make some decisions on players. Honestly in a series like this with 2-3 matches to go before the Asia Cup, playing Kohli and Rohit would have not given us any answers. But with the injuries we have in the NCA and some uncertainty around them we just wanted to give others a chance," Dravid said.
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India are currently dealing with a plethora of injuries to many players, namely Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. While Pant is doubtful of makingit to the World Cup squad, Rahul and Iyer are expected to make a return.
The worries for India after Windies' series-levelling win grew as replacement players Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill have failed to perform as per their abilities. West Indies won the match by six wickets for what was their first win over India in nearly four years in one-day cricket.
The third and final ODI of the series against West Indies, meanwhile, will be played on August 1.
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