India have lost the CB Series 10th ODI- to Australia, in Sydney. The media have got it all wrong again. Whereas batsmen- senior or junior can falter due to split second reaction time of shot making, the media and management have time to get it right.
1. The media missed out why our bowlers gave away in excess of 300 in the first place, when Sydney is a spin friendly track. Your chances are reduced to 1:10, right there when any team chases 300. Piyush Chawla could have played here instead of Shreeshant? The media did not even ask this question.
2. Dhoni's approach was a 'responsible' one? Sure, he played with caution when 4 wickets fell. But this innings can only be considered as 'good' if it was when batting first and then you try to settle for a reasonable score of 230 or so. But chasing 317, if some batsmen were to make 36 of 66 balls (yes the situation was messy, but the target is known and you have little choice), he is eating up 30 balls- considering run-a-ball is par.
Compare Dhoni's knock (36 of 66 balls) to Sehwag's (17 of 19 balls)- Dhoni has made 19 runs more from 47 more balls! Sure, he had to see off the top bowlers, but the fact is Sehwag was not facing the weak bowlers either. As it turns out, Dhoni's knock was poorer than Sehwag's, in context of the second innings chase.
3. If Dhoni has chosen to play a controlling role as a batsman (which was fine at times, in this low scoring series), perhaps he should promote himself up the order, like he did with Pathan. Or send Uthappa ahead, who is a regular batsman? Then he and Pathan can address the strike issues lower down. 36 of 66 balls when you have the best striking skills is not good enough, when you chase 300+.
4. India lost by 'just' 18 runs. Well they needed 70odd of 40 balls. The match was really gone long before. The real fact is that today only Gambhir and Utthappa played adequately (amongst batters) with desired strike rates.
5. This is the second time Dhoni's strike rate management has let India down in this series (as discussed, in some matches where the target was low, it was fine to make a 50 without a big shot). In the Canberra match, 5th ODI of this series, against Sri Lanka, Tendulkar, Gambhir, Rohit Sharma made good run-a-ball scores early in the innings (batting first in a reduced 29 over game). Dhoni came in when 9 overs/7 wickets were left, ahead of Yuvraj and Uthappa, to make 31 of 26 with 3 fours. In overs 26, 27, and 28 he was taking singles in 'finisher' style! In the first innings there is nothing to 'finish', it is 'more the merrier'. This was the case to go all out for your shots, with Rohit Sharma anchoring. Yuvraj, Uthappa and Pathan were wasted. Not what you expect from a captain of a T20 Champion team.
6. Just remember, we are not trying to blame anyone (after 5 years of wicket-keeper hunting, we finally got two!), but if we do analyze let us see what can be fixed in terms of planning and approach, as execution-wise every team can falter, as Australian batting has been so far. Dhoni's team selection, batting order and his own one-dimensional strike-rate approach need to be discussed- well before any senior-junior thing.
7. If MS Dhoni is going to bat like this in Tests (in a constructive manner)-that is just fine. But then we can consider Dinesh Karthik for Tests instead, because Karthik has the technique to bat like this in Tests. Dhoni can then stick to number 5-6 in ODIs and T20s- and face the lesser bowlers and well spread fields to garner singles, when strike-rate demands are moderate, and then he can unleash himself when he has the chance to do so (which perhaps Karthik may not be as good as Dhoni).
Dinesh Karthik- most of us have forgotten that he played a major role in beating England in England, as a Test opener. He might still be worth a shot as the wicketkeeper and bat at number 7 in Tests.
More later,
Saumil
Mumbai
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