NEW DELHI: The absence of India skipper Rohit Sharma and run-machine Virat Kohli from the playing XI of second West Indies ODI raised a few eyebrows but the stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya‘s sensible reply put an immediate end to any controversy before it erupted.

While explaining Rohit and Virat’s absence, Pandya said at the toss: “Rohit and Virat have been playing constant cricket, few questions need to be answered for us so they are resting in this game. They can be fresh for the third ODI.”
“We want to see how much we can score on this pitch which is a bit up and down. I think when you get someone out for 115, it’s a good effort from the bowlers. Our catching was impressive, but we can improve in certain areas. Instead of losing five wickets, we could have lost only two wickets and finished the last game,” Pandya added.

West Indies skipper Shai Hope won the toss and opted to bowl against India in the second ODI of the three-match series in Bridgetown.
Sanju Samson and Axar Patel have replaced Rohit and Virat in the playing XI. India won the first ODI by five wickets to take 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The final ODI of the series is scheduled on August 1 in Tarouba, Trinidad on Tuesday.