Bangladesh victory doesn't make up for 2007 World Cup exit: MS Dhoni
The Indian cricket team spearheaded by Captain MS Dhoni, pulled off a remarkable final over comeback to defeat Bangladesh by two runs in a do or die, World T-20 group stage encounter. The victory has propelled them to second in the group, ahead of Australia and Pakistan.
Dhoni said, “Chaos is a constant in close matches such as this. One must learn how to manage chaos. That’s what our final over talk was all about.” He added, “There are several factors one must take into consideration, such as the bowlers strength, and the opposition batsman’s weakness’. What I feel is we need to listen to all of the players, and what their ideas are to come to a collective decision.”
Speaking about the new pacers such as Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, playing such pivotal roles, Dhoni remained optimistic about their growth. He said, “Every cricketer has their phases, be it Hardik or Jasprit, one must be in control at those times. Once they’re over those phases, they will be more consistent. They have clearly shown that they have potential, and they will only get better from here.”
Most pundits were shocked that Pandya was given the final over. However, Dhoni explained that the selection was based on bowling full deliveries. He added, “I think he came back well after being hit for two boundaries. We were discussing what kind of delivery to bowl throughout the over, and narrowed down on not bowling Yorkers. We asked him to bowl full, but not too much, otherwise he would end up conceding. He ended up executing it very well.”
Dhoni also recalled the 2007 World Cup loss to the same opponent. He added, “We are also humans, it definitely hurt us. There are a lot of expectations on us that year, and we didn’t deliver, that hurt us a lot. This win doesn’t nullify that, but yes, we need to think positively, and play to the best of our abilities.”
Bumrah’s fielding and bowling performance was heavily criticised, however, Dhoni felt that the youngster made a solid comeback. He added, “I feel his poor performance while fielding, reflected on his bowling initially. I consider him slightly weak when it comes to the fielding department. But it’s important to tell him that it didn’t really matter. He made a fabulous recovery in the final few overs.”