Dhoni booed at Lord’s but skipper Kohli cool
Tonup Root shows the way to tackle spin threat
LONDON: In the end it proved to be a bizarre innings from India in the second one-day game at Lord’s as they didn’t as much as display they were making an effort of going for the target of 322.
The in-form Rohit Sharma played a shot which hinted at complacency, while Mahendra Singh Dhoni waited too long to go for his big shots, and ended up becoming a target of boos from the crowd when he played a series of dot balls in a Liam Plunkett over, the 46th of the innings.
The crowd reaction marred a day when he had achieved a couple of milestones — becoming the fourth Indian to get to 10,000 runs and also the fourth wicketkeeper to take 300 catches in ODIs.
Asked about the strange innings of Dhoni, where he got 59-ball 37 when the required run rate had touched 27, leg-spin bowler Yuzvendra Chahal said: “… Because later on there were only me, Siddarth Kaul and Kuldeep Yadav, so it wasn’t like 2-3 batsmen were remaining. I think throughout the series Dhoni hasn’t batted, so this was a chance to get a knock. If he had hit a shot and gotten out, maybe we couldn’t have batted all 50 overs.”
In his post-match comments to the official broadcaster, India skipper Virat Kohli defended Dhoni saying every player had a bad day.
“This thing comes up again and again, it’s unfortunate when people jump to conclusions. We all have bad days, today was a bad day for everyone. The idea was to take the innings deep and he’s got the experience. Some days it just doesn’t come off,” said Kohli.
According to Chahal, who was a rare Indian player to come out unscathed from the game with figures of 10-0-43-1, the wicket of Virat Kohli was the turning point of the game.
Kohli and Suresh Raina tried to revive the innings after India lost three wickets for 60, but the India skipper fell at the total of 140, for a 56-ball 45.
‘KOHLI’S WICKET TURNING POINT’
“I think the turning point was the wicket of Virat Kohli, because a good partnership was going on. When you chase 322, you need wickets in the end. I also think their spinners bowled well,” said Chahal. LONDON: Apart from managing to keep the series alive, what would have pleased the England thinktank about Joe Root’s matchwinning hundred was how he showed the way to bat effectively against the spin of Kuldeep Yadav.
The Chinaman bowler has wreaked havoc in the English ranks on this tour, bamboozling them with variations. He picked up three early wickets in the second ODI, but then Root displayed the technique and temperament to come out on top in his personal battle against the Indian ace at the Lord’s on Saturday. Just his technique was so impressive while facing spin as compared to his teammates: staying low and balanced, the backlift and wrist-play controlled with good use of the crease. It was a good comeback for Root after falling for a golden duck in the first T20 to Kuldeep and then succumbing leg before wicket in the first ODI at Trent Bridge. “I have faced only four balls against him in the last couple of games. But ultimately you have got to trust your game and your technique and I felt that the four balls I did face I thought I was picking him okay. So it was more about spending some time out there and trusting the way I play spin. I haven’t faced much of his type of bowling but having a few overs under my belt gave me quite a lot of confidence,” explained Root.
“You are always trying to learn as a player and always trying to pick things up when you next play someone, whether individuals or a team.”