India's series defeat to Australia has invited scathing criticism from several current and former players. Despite winning the first ODI, India conceded the series 1-2 after back-to-back defeats. India's frailties at the top of the order was one of the main talking points, especially when the Rohit Sharma-led side is set to take part in the World Cup on home soil later this year. Speaking on India's crushing series defeat, former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria highlighted India's struggles in the batting department, saying that the team is not ready for the World Cup.
"Virat Kohli took a lot of time to get back to form. There was no shuffle in the team because it was Kohli. Why waste Suryakumar Yadav? Why waste Sanju Samson? Shreyas Iyer's fitness is a concern; will he be fit for the World Cup or not? What will India do? They will play World Cup at home but they are not ready. India played poor cricket," Kaneria said on his YouTube channel.
Kaneria also hailed Australia captain Steve Smith for his leadership skills, and also lauded the visitors for making a strong comeback.
"Australia played like a top team. Steve Smith deserves a lot of credit for his leadership skills. He is made for captaincy. Australia will be happy to have him back. Australia lost the Test series, but the way they have fought back is commendable. They absolutely dominated India," he added.
With the series win, Australia dethroned India as the no.1 team in ODI rankings.