Dhoni booed, Kohli, Chahal defend him Root shows the way to tackle spin threat
Lord’s crowd disapproves exskipper’s 57ball 39 in India’s 86run loss in second ODI
LONDON: In the end, it proved to be a bizarre chase by India in the second one-day game at Lord’s as they didn’t display the urgency to chase the 323-run target set by England.
The in-form Rohit Sharma got out to 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.
Asked about Dhoni’s strange innings, in which he got a 59-ball 37 even though 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 has a bad outing.
“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, 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. 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.
“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 think their spinners bowled well.
“The way Moeen started, the boundaries weren’t coming. We could only get one or two runs and the asking rate was climbing, so there was pressure on the batsmen.”
In batting, England took the game away in the last eight overs when Joe Root and David Willey took the score from 239 for six to 322 for seven.
“I think, as a team, we conceded 20-25 runs too many at the death.” LONDON: Apart from managing to keep the series alive, what would have pleased the England thinktank about Joe Root’s match-winninghundredwashowheshowed 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 again 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.”