MS Dhoni hopeful of more cricket in the USA
Indian skipper MS Dhoni hopes for more association of cricket with the United States of America. World Cricket should select the US for more matches, despite the packed international schedule, said Dhoni to the media on Sunday in Florida.
The second and last T20 of the two-match bilateral series between India and West Indies in the US was abandoned, presenting the Caribbeans with the trophy for the 1-0 series win.
When asked to give his comments on cricket’s first tryst with the US, Dhoni said he would want to come back and play more games at the venue. “This is one place where we can come back and play lot of cricket, maybe a triangular or a four-nation ODI or T20 series. It will be better to play T20s to start off. The venue looks good. It will also let us spend more time in the US (unlike this time) when we played back-to-back games. It will easily fit into our schedule as well because we don't play many games this time of year at home," he was quoted saying.
He further went on to say that the venue may get cramped for international cricketers, but the young boys would not have a problem with it.
Addressing the business aspect in cricket, Dhoni said that the US has a great ability to make money through cricket matches because of the large fanbase of the game in the country. Plus, the timings of the match are suitable for the broadcasters. The losing captain called it a “win-win situation for everyone”.
When asked about India’s performance in the series, Captain Cool responded with praise for the Indian bowling department, especially leg-spinner Amit Mishra. Replacing Mishra with Stuart Binny was risky, as the team was short of a batsman. But on that particular wicket, an additional bowler could give extra wickets, he explained. Lauding Mishra’s bowling, he also mentioned Ravichandran Ashwin’s support as ‘fantastic’.
The cricket fans in the US got every dollar’s worth in the first game which featured 32 sixes and 35 fours. The spectators seemed to enjoy every delivery in the game. There were as many as 489 runs in 40 overs. India may have lost the series, but the board’s idea to tap the massive US market got a tremendous boost.
With so many benefits at this venue, Indian fans in the US may get to watch another live thriller very soon.