India wicket-keeper MS Dhoni was heavily criticized by the on-air commentators Nasser Hussain and Sourav Ganguly in the last five overs. He wasn't going for the big hits which completely ruled India out of the game. Even his batting partner Kedar Jadhav was poor with his approach and scored just 12 off 13 balls.
India lost the game by 31 runs while chasing 338. It was a poor show in the end by the Indian batters which forced Ganguly and Hussain to be brutal with their words.
While Dhoni was going for just single, Ganguly said he doesn't know how to explain it. "I don't have an explanation for that. You asked me the question but I can't explain these singles. It's also the length and the bounce that has deceived the Indian batsmen. You can't be chasing 338 and still have five wickets in the end.
"It's about mindset and the way you look at the game. The message had to be clear: no matter where it comes and no matter where the ball lands you have to find the boundary," said Ganguly.
Hussain wasn't impressed with Dhoni's batting in last overs either. "I am completely baffled. What's going on! This is not what India needed. They need runs. What are they doing? Some Indian fans are leaving now. Surely they must want to see Dhoni go for his shots, even if he slogs it off in the air. It's a World Cup game, top two sides, give it a go! Indian fans would want their side to do a little bit more. They want their side to go down with a fight. Risk it to win it," he said.
Even Sanjay Manjrekar didn't stay back. He pointed out Dhoni's pointless approach in the end. "If there was any team that had the ability to stop India's winning run. It was England. Dhoni's approach in the last few overs, however, was baffling," said Manjrekar on Twitter.
In Dhoni's defense, skipper Virat Kohli said he saw Dhoni trying. But it was an off day. "I think MS was trying really hard to get the boundary but it wasn't coming off. They bowled in good areas and the ball was stopping, hence it was difficult to bat towards the end," said Kohli after the game.
(With IANS Inputs)
