In absence of coach, seniors step up to take responsibility

YUVRAJ FLOPPED ON SATURDAY AFTER STRUGGLING AGAINST DEVENDRA BISHOO AND ON SATURDAY HE SPENT PLENTY OF TIME WITH THE BAT AT THE NETS.

PORTOFSPAIN: It started to drizzle at the Queen’s Park Oval here on Saturday at about the same time it had on Friday. And on Sunday too there is chance of rain. If anything, it is likely to be heavier, which cast doubts on a full game.

The rain on Friday has left the practice pitches in bad shape --surprisingly they have remained uncovered all through these past few days. Skipper Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav had to use the indoor facilities.

Sanjay Bangar, the batting coach, has additional responsibilities on this trip in the absence of a chief coach. Bangar, who has been with the team for around three years, says Anil Kumble’s absence has left a gap but the former India batsman felt to understand the team, you need to spend time with the players.

“We are certainly missing him. But we have to make do with what we have,” Bangar said.

“It is very difficult to find a prescription for a coach…. But (speaking about himself) you need to spend enough time with the boys to understand them,” said the former Railways captain and all-rounder.

“MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli have stepped up and assumed responsibilities,” he told the media ahead of the second ODI.

That was evident as Virat was in the thick of things, giving throwdowns to batsmen and overseeing the nets.

And although Bangar says both Yuvraj and Dhoni are key in an advisory role, there is a big doubt over their holding the middle-order together till the 2019 World Cup.

Not with the way they buckled under pressure in the ICC Champions Trophy final against Pakistan. A little bit of fight in that 180run loss would have done them a world of good.

Yuvraj flopped on Saturday too after struggling against legspinner Devendra Bishoo, and on Saturday he spent plenty of time batting at the nets. MS Dhoni didn’t get a chance to play for long on Friday as his knock was cut short by rain just after he had scored a boundary.

“We have a pool of 25 players to pick from,” he replied when asked if both Dhoni and Yuvraj are being seen as a certainty for World Cup 2019. This series is being seen as one of the testing grounds for the tournament two years later.

“Look, fitness is the main concern. If these guys stay fit, then they definitely stand a chance to play the World Cup,” he said.

With wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant breathing down his neck, Dhoni has a task at hand.