Time to look beyond Dhoni in T20s: Agarkar
NEWDELHI: Hours after India fell to a 40-run defeat in their tie against New Zealand on Saturday, former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar suggested that the team should look beyond MS Dhoni in the shortest format.
Sharing his views in a chat on ESPNCricinfo, Agarkar made scathing remarks on Dhoni, stating that the time he takes to settle down isn’t pardonable in the T20 format. Coming on to bat with the side reeling at 67 for the loss of four wickets and another 130 required off 65 deliveries, Dhoni got off to a sluggish start and found the fence only after playing nine deliveries. He did launch a couple of towering sixes but his run-a-ball effort to reach 28, meant India required 65 off the final 12 balls. He faced nine of those deliveries and added another 21 to his tally but the fate had been sealed by then.
And Agarkar feels that is a primary reason why a change is necessary. He went on to add that there are perhaps better options in batting that the team can fall back on in T20 format. “It might still have been difficult to chase down that score. You had a chance if he got going
Over the last few games he takes a little bit of time and in Twenty20 International cricket there is no time AJIT AGARKAR, Ex-India pacer
immediately but that’s been his problem for a while,” he said. “I mean, it’s not (just) tonight, over the last few games he takes a little bit of time and in T20 cricket there is no time. He’s come in to bat in 10th over. How many times do you get to bat in a T20 game? So that’s enough time for any batsman. I think India need to look at other options for T20 cricket for sure, in one day cricket… It seems they’re happy with the role that he’s playing but in T20, when he was captain it was different, but just as a batsman, will India miss him? I don’t think so.” Advocating for younger players, Agarkar said, “There’s enough experience apart from Dhoni. So in T20, I think India need to look at other options.”