The second ODI of the series between India and South Africa got underway on Sunday at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi.
However, soon after the toss, the Indian fans were left disappointed and puzzled because of the management’s decision regarding the changes to the playing XI that had lost the first ODI by only 9 runs in Lucknow.
India were defeated by a close margin in Lucknow, falling short by only 9 runs of South Africa’s total of 249 in the rain-curtailed 40-overs-a-side match.
It seems like the management pressed the panic button after the loss in the first match as they made two changes to the side for the Ranchi game: batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi gave way to all-rounders Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Ahmed.
Sundar had been drafted into the squad after the first ODI as a replacement for the injured Deepak Chahar, and on Sunday he was slotted in the line-up straightaway.
Gaikwad and Bishnoi both had made their ODI debuts in Lucknow, and their exclusion from the second ODI was quite surprising to the fans, albeit their poor show in the first ODI. Gaikwad scored 19 runs off 42 balls while Bishnoi returned with concerning figures of 1/69 in 8 overs.
Fans lambasted the Team India management – which is currently headed by interim coach VVS Laxman and stand-in skipper Shikhar Dhawan for this ODI series as Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma are in Australia for T20 World Cup 2022 – for their decision to drop the two debutants after failure in only one match, that was their debut ODI.
Netizens were unhappy with the management deciding to drop two players after giving them merely a single ODI.
Here are some of the fan reactions:
Unfair with Ruturaj Gaikwad 💔 #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/Gyue0mwp5R
— Shivam Jaiswal (@7jaiswalshivam) October 9, 2022
Ruturaj dropped after one game? How will a player set his feet in international cricket everytime you drop him after he had a bit of a battle in the last game? Whoever took this decision needs to be sacked.
— The Joker (Perry’s version) (@Jokeresque_) October 9, 2022
Ruturaj Gaikwad and his selection idiosyncrasies – gets 9 T20Is and is picked for the red ball A games despite a modest FC record. Yet can’t get a regular run in the format he’s best suited too and has ransacked runs for fun in for Maharashtra and India A #INDvSA
— Soorya Sesha (@sooryasesha7) October 9, 2022
Indian Cricket was never the same after MS Dhoni’s retirement 💔
All CSK players getting dropped unfairly under new era. Can’t wait for Ruturaj to score 700 runs next IPL and mock clownery of ICT management.#INDvSA #RuturajGaikwad pic.twitter.com/5QAyivTNYY
— 𝐀𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐯 𝐌𝐒𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐧™🦁 (@Arnav_Tweetz7) October 9, 2022
Ruturaj dropped. Gill back to low scoring. soon the King shall return. pic.twitter.com/H6mOPp4oXg
— ± (@VKcertifiedd) October 9, 2022
This isn’t just about Ruturaj. Any player who gets in the side should get consistent chances. ODIs shouldn’t be an audition for T20 wc.
— The Joker (Perry’s version) (@Jokeresque_) October 9, 2022
Dhawan mc ,last match mai tu khud konsa perform kiya tha ,Gill, Ishan ne aise kiya ki only Ruturaj ko drop kiya.. This BCCI is full of politics now .. Deserve to lose WC pic.twitter.com/6XEpVpA9sM
— 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐌 𝐒 𝐃™🦁 (@SouravMsd) October 9, 2022
What about Dhawan, Gill and Ishan ?
Oh sorry, It’s the Rohit Era..
CSK Players are only allowed to serve drinks whether it be Ruturaj or Deepak… #SackRohit #BoycottBCCI pic.twitter.com/4chwcYngwU
— Deefuk Kahar 🇿🇦 (@Deefuk_Kahar) October 9, 2022
Ideally Kishan Ko drop karna tha waise list A stats bekar h uske, Ruturaj has atleast been good there
— Pushkar (@musafir_hu_yar) October 9, 2022
Why is ruturaj dropped , just one bad game and they dropped chutiya management 👎👎 .. Should have given him full series 🥲
— Sᵗᵉᵖʰᵉᶰ Fˡᵉᵐ!ᶰᵍ 𓅂 (@sp_fleming7) October 9, 2022
Bishnoi was dropped after only one match in Asia Cup and now again same story.
Dropping Ruturaj after only one match also doesn’t make any kind of sense.
Mysteriously Ishan is regular member of the team despite poor performances.
— Karan (@karannpatelll) October 9, 2022
Meanwhile, South Africa have scored 278/7 in Ranchi on a two-paced surface as Reeza Hendricks scored 74 and Aiden Markram scored 79, along with a couple of cameros from Klassen and Miller. For India, it was Mohammed Siraj who was the pick of the bolwers with figures of 3/38 in 10 overs.
