Dhoni – stumped Ashwin bowled Kohli
Gaurav Joshi is frustrated at India's loss to West Indies in the final fatal over
It is the last over in the World T20 semi-final in Mumbai and West Indies need eight runs to win. Ravi Ashwin, India number one bowler, is ignored by his most loyal fan MS Dhoni, for part time bowler Virat Kohli. Ashwin standing at short third man kicks the turf. He is frustrated and perhaps even disgusted at India's loss in the final over.
Ashwin had every right to be annoyed. He has virtually carried India's hopes on his shoulders for the past 12 months. He has demanded the ball in crunch situations in each format of the game and excelled in almost each situation.
On a rank turner in Kolkata, Dhoni had failed to give Ashwin his four overs. Against Australia once again Dhoni had failed to bowl out his primary weapon.
After the match in Kolkata skipper Dhoni had stated there was a chance that a big shot can end up with a six but "that does not mean I don't trust him". From tonight's evidence, it is clear that Dhoni's trust in Ashwin has diminished. It seems even stranger because if there is a captain that knows a bowler's strength or weakness it is Dhoni and Ashwin. For eight years Dhoni has mentored him during the IPL and has watched him grow, so to have him turn his back was like a teacher giving up on a student.
Asked after the match as to why Ashwin was not considered for the final over Dhoni said, "No, it was not in my mind looking at Russell and the big hitters and the amount of purchase there was on offer. That was not the best time for him to bowl."
One of the other key reasons Ashwin had not been given the ball was because of the heavy dew factor. But this was a World Cup played on home soil. India should have known that dew is a huge factor in Mumbai. The likes of Rohit Sharma had played over 30 matches at this ground to know that spinners need to be bowled earlier on as it becomes impossible for them to grip the ball at the end.
If that was so then surely there was a case for Dhoni to bring on Ashwin in the power play when the ball was drier and according to Dhoni the pitch was gripping.
Tonight Dhoni trusted Kohli. Fast forward a little and perhaps Kohli the future leader would have trusted Ashwin.
Posted by neena on Apr 1 2016. Filed under Community, Featured, Sport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.