MS Dhoni in action against England in Perth.
© AFP
India ended their three-nation ODI campaign with a three-wicket defeat against England amid criticism of poor tactics and approach. Not having won a single match in the series in Australia has exposed the skeletons in India's cupboard ahead of the World Cup. Injuries to key players and poor form of several others have left the side in a lurch and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a tailspin.(Match Report)
India went down to Australia in their first match in Melbourne, lost to England in Brisbane and Perth as important players continued to underperform. Virat Kohli, not batting at his customary No.3 position, registered four successive single digit scores for the first time in ODIs, while Rohit Sharma was lost to an injured hamstring after a fluent hundred in India's opening match.(Highlights | Scorecard)
Ravindra Jadeja's absence in the first two matches left a massive void in the lower order and Ishant Sharma's lack of availability meant India had to rely on Stuart Binny to operate with the new ball. A fortnight away from the World Cup, India's captain is not even certain of the composition of his playing XI. Two spinners and three pacers on pace friendly pitches Down Under? Is that the way forward?(Ganguly Angry With Jadeja)
"We have to look at our attack keeping in mind the balance of the side. Two spinners suit us because (Ravichandran) Ashwin and Jadeja, and Ashwin and Axar Patel can bat a bit while three seamers and a spinner weaken our batting. It's a Catch-22 situation. Playing an extra seamer weakens the batting and even leads to a slow over rate," Dhoni said after India were knocked out of the tournament on Friday.(Gavaskar Slams India)
The plan has clearly not worked. Dhoni has time again emphasised the pressure he feels batting at No. 6 with little or no batting to follow. The likes of Binny, Jadeja and Patel are expected to give their explosive skipper some crucial backup. That did not happen in the lead-up to the World Cup.(Binny Replicates Father's Masterstroke)
Does that mean Dhoni will play an extra seamer when Ishant is completely fit? Rohit's return to the top could also complicate matters. Will India sacrifice Binny or let go of a full-time batsman - Shikhar Dhawan with his poor run of form could be the first to get the axe. Dhoni rued the poor total India managed against England in a do-or-die clash.
"When we started batting I thought we did decently with the new ball and a bit more runs initially would have helped. Good bowling and poor selection of shots led to the low score and 40-50 more runs would have helped, " Dhoni said.
Things are only going to get trickier from now on. India face Pakistan on February 15 in their first match of the World Cup and Dhoni insisted his side would be ready for the arch-rivals. The captain wants the players to pack their kit bags and freshen up before the business end of their Australian journey starts. But will the break help the likes of Dhawan, Kohli and Jadeja regain some form? Time will tell.
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