Under the Microscope: 3 Things for India to Improve On in the 3rd ODI
If one were to describe the 2nd ODI in one word, it would be bizarre. India had a fighting chance during the chase, and it was very much alive even with MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya at the crease. After Pandya was dismissed off a ball sliding down the leg side, it was down to Dhoni. Required rate of 12 for the next 11 overs. He would have had to maintain that run rate all by himself, with all the batsmen back in the pavilion and only bowlers to come, in a pitch that had proved to be tricky for the Indian batsmen – so much so that there was not a single six scored by them.
#1: Intent
Herculean task? Quite so. But Dhoni’s reputation of being a master finisher meant there was a tiny off-chance that they might have made it.
The most disappointing thing in what followed Pandya’s dismissal was not the fact that India lost – after all, it was going to be unlikely that they could win from that point anyway. Rather, it was the lack of intent. Dhoni didn’t go for the big shots and was looking to nudge balls around but rarely found the gap, especially when charging out against the spinners.
Kohli justified this as an attempt at reducing the margin of loss, but why does that matter? A loss is a loss, especially when there is no NRR at stake here, so why not give it a legitimate shot by going for their shots? Maybe the fact that they still had a shot at winning the 3rd ODI so the series was not at stake at Lord’s made them not want to try and chase the score. Regardless, it remains that it was unsportsmanlike conduct to not even attempt.
On air, Nasser Hussain criticised this lack of intent heavily, saying the Indian batsmen, particularly Dhoni, was having “a net”. On the stadium, the home of cricket, the fans weren’t having it either.
MS Dhoni, one of the greatest Indian cricketers to have played the game since Tendulkar, was being booed in the same match that he conquered a landmark 10 000 ODI runs and not just by English fans, even the Indians joined in.
India not looking to win was disappointing, and it is expected that they will go much harder in the 3rd ODI no matter how steep the chase because the series depends on it. Playing with the intent that is so often spoken about would be a welcome change after the horrid display in the 2nd ODI.