Published: Feb 08, 2015, 05:18 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 08, 2015, 05:25 PM (IST)
India went down against Australia by a huge 106-run margin in their warm-up match ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Perhaps it was due to the birth of his daughter, or maybe it was that this was not an official One-Day International (ODI), but MS Dhoni seemed distracted on the field, and that could have rubbed off on the Indian team. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
It was clear right from the onset that Dhoni might not have taken the match too seriously. Despite the fact that India could bowl as many bowlers as they wanted to, he chose to open the bowling with Stuart Binny and Bhuvneshwar Kumar rather than using Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami. The result was that Australia raced away to 60 in the first eight overs. READ: Match Report
Thereafter, he did not bring on any of his three frontline spinners, instead choosing to go with last-minute replacement Mohit Sharma. Mohit proved to be India’s most expensive bowler, going at over 10 runs per over.
Even then, he only brought on his spinners in the 22nd over. Ravichandran Ashwin was India’s most economical bowler, going at under five runs while others were being put to the sword. Despite his excellent bowling, Dhoni chose to not continue with him. Ashwin bowled only six overs, while he could easily have bowled 10 on the trot and ensured India had to chase a smaller total. Check complete schedule of the warm-up matches here
Akshar Patel took a wicket in his first over, but even he bowled only five overs. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja was introduced into the attack late, in the 34th over, and was taken off after just two overs. While both Akshar and Jadeja went for runs, a case could have been made for them to bowl earlier on and also to get extended spells. READ: Five reasons why India lost
Having conceded 371, Dhoni again blundered by pushing himself down to the No. 7 position well after the match was already out of hand. He should have taken the responsibility to bat higher up the order and perhaps allow the team to bat around him. Given that Virat Kohli was out early, he should have come in at least at No. 5. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE
Even when Dhoni finally came in, he was unable to help India’s case at all. Off the very first ball he faced, he went for an ill-advised slog and was caught at the boundary for a duck. Dhoni should have taken a few balls to get used to the pace and bounce of the pitch before trying to hit out.
India may have lost the match due to a number of reasons, but it was clear that their captain was unable to prove his worth either as captain or as batsman. He needs to get his head back in the game or India have no chance of defending the World Cup.
