Dhoni a worry as India seek to restore parity in Adelaide
SECOND ODI Ex-skipper’s failure to force the pace and Pandya’s absence have hurt team ahead of must-win game
ADELAIDE: MS Dhoni’s inability to step up scoring in the middle overs will be a concern when India take on Australia in the second ODI here on Tuesday, aiming to win and keep the threematch series alive.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya’s suspension on disciplinary grounds has affected the balance in batting, which showed in the 34-run defeat in Sydney despite Rohit Sharma’s century.
Dhoni’s 51 off 96 balls and failure to rotate the strike suggests skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri will have to fret over a re-jig. Dhoni bats at No 5 though vice-captain Rohit wants him to go a notch higher. Cues from India’s training session on Monday suggested they are unlikely to tinker with the batting order.
Top-order batsmen Rohit, Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli have been consistent since 2016, but Dhoni had to come in the fourth over on Saturday after three quick dismissals. Dhoni averages 52.95 at No 4 --- higher than his career average (50.11 over 333 games) and in his favoured No 5 (50.70) and No 6 (46.33) slots. But strike-rate is key when batting down the order. Yet, Dhoni’s career strikerate at No 4 is 94.21, compared to his career strike-rate (87.60), or
at No 5 (86.08) or 6 (83.23).
When India last played ODIs in Australia, in January 2016, Dhoni batted at No 4 in two matches, scoring just 18 runs. Since then, he has batted at No 4 in only eight ODIs, the last time in the 2018 Asia Cup. He averages 24.75 in this phase with a strikerate of 77.34 and a top score of 80, against New Zealand in October 2016.
SHANKAR LANDS
No pre-match short-list was announced on Monday. Allrounder Vijay Shankar, Pandya’s replacement, landed only on Monday and may not be available for selection. In Pandya’s absence, the focus is likely to be on ensuring a better team balance.
While India managed in the Asia Cup and against West Indies when he was out injured, playing three spinners in subcontinent conditions helped. Overseas though, Pandya’s absence restricts the team in batting and bowling.
Ambati Rayudu, the No 4 batsman, is free to bowl his occasional off-spin despite being reported for a suspect action at SCG, but it remains to be seen if the team management would want him to. Kedar Jadhav is an option, and could come in at Dinesh Karthik’s expense.
Pace bowler Mohammed Siraj had a long bowling stint under the supervision of Shastri and could come into contention in place of young left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed.
The team management however banks on Ravindra Jadeja’s all-round skills, which makes leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal’s chances of a return doubtful.
The onus will be on India’s top three batsmen to come good once and ease the pressure on the middle order.
Kohli, who was out for three in Sydney, averages 73.44 at Adelaide across formats. In ODIs alone, he averages 46.66 here.
DHAWAN FORM
Dhawan’s form will be in focus. Besides Dhoni and Rayudu, he is the third batsman in the top six who didn’t play domestic cricket during the Test series. Dhoni is retired from Tests and Rayudu quit first-class cricket before the Ranji season.
But Dhawan stayed in Melbourne and did not play Ranji matches. While he was in form before this break, it remains to be seen if his firstball duck in Sydney was just a blip.