What is going wrong with the Indian bowling attack?

The India vs. New Zealand 3-match ODI series has now reached a series decider. The hosts won the opening match by 4 wickets, while the visitors made a counterpunch in the second ODI. Now, the 3rd and final ODI will be played between the two teams at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, on January 18. So far, both teams looked equal and easily chased the targets against each other in the first two ODIs. 

In the first ODI, Team India easily chased 301 runs, while NZ successfully chased 285 runs in the 2nd ODI. Against the current Indian bowling lineup, New Zealand batters are easily scoring runs. In the first ODI, bowlers didn’t take early breakthroughs, while in the 2nd ODI, Indian bowlers were struggling in the middle overs. Now, Team India will enter with a couple of changes in the bowling department in the final ODI. Arshdeep Singh might be included in the playing XI instead of Prasidh Krishna. 

Arshdeep Singh has played 14 ODI matches, where he took 22 wickets in 13 innings, including a fifer. He is considering his new ball wicket ability, which the Indian team needs at the moment. Prasidh Krishna has taken 3 wickets, but he was expensive in both matches. At Vadodara, his economy was 6.66, while in the Rajkot ODI, his economy was 5.44. Harshit Rana is slowly becoming an all-rounder, so he will almost certainly play the India vs New Zealand 3rd ODI match. Mohammed Siraj is India’s ace bowler in the current ODI setup, so he is also expected to feature in the playing XI. So, Prasidh Krishna is the only option who could make way for Arshdeep.

The Indian team has a major concern about the Indian spin department as well. Kuldeep Yadav conceded 82 runs in the 2nd ODI, while in the first ODI, he conceded 52 runs. On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja is also struggling and hasn’t got a single wicket in the ongoing series. 

In addition to bowling, the fielding department is also concerned for Team India. The Indian team looked lazy in the ground fielding as well. Shubman Gill & Co. have been missing a couple of run-out opportunities and have also dropped some catches in crucial phases. 

Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin also criticised the Indian team's strategy. He expressed serious concern over Arshdeep Singh's exclusion from the India playing XI. He clearly said why Arshdeep missed the first two ODIs. 

“He has performed every time you have given him the ball. Give him the place he deserves. Allow him to walk into the eleven with his head held high,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

“Now what is the use of him playing the third ODI? Why did he not play the first two ODIs? What will that do to his confidence?” he questioned.