Dhoni must prime his misfiring guns

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Dambulla, Aug. 11: Presented with a challenge, the Indians came a cropper. New Zealand’s bowling was nowhere near unplayable but it was a case of batsmen lacking application. Tuesday’s opener was not the sort of start the tri-series favourites would have wanted.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not shy away from admitting to a poor display but it is time he takes the whip to a few batsmen who seem to have taken their places for granted.

“Of course it was a bad day for us. Even 200 runs would have been really difficult to chase on this wicket. But I think we could have applied ourselves and batted better,” he said after the game.

Being bowled out inside 30 overs indicates a degree of recklessness at the crease and that is exactly what the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma in particular put on show.

In his last 10 matches Rohit Sharma has made 444 runs at an average of 49.33. Half of those runs have come in two innings in Zimbabwe where the attack or the wicket never really tested batsmen.

Sharma’s talent has never in doubt but lack of a strong work ethic has allowed stronger bowling combinations to expose the chinks in his armour, and his continuing to play like he is doing the game a favour is not helping his cause. Sharma must quickly understand that a player of the calibre of Virat Kohli was sacrificed to accommodate him in the XI.

In the case of Yuvraj, it’s his stature that brought him back. He did nothing of note in the time between the Asia Cup and this tour. A poor average of 16.77 in his last 10 innings tells the tale. He has a responsibility as a senior player — and former vice-captain — with the World Cup approaching. The way the veteran of 251 ODIs went about his task was a poor example to the new lot.

It was not raw pace or the short stuff that did the Indians in. The ingredients for disaster were the right air speed, movement off the seam and a tennis-ball type bounce. It is not the first time the top-order has caved in this fashion. The tri-series final in Dhaka saw the team crumble before a fighting hundred from Suresh Raina saved their blushes.

It is also hard to find a reason for Virender Sehwag continuing to underperform in ODIs. For one of the greatest player of this generation, trying to exceed himself in the shorter formats has seen him pay a heavy price.

Sehwag’s average in his last 10 ODI innings is an unsatisfactory 23 and there has not been a single half-century in that period, even as he has dominated Test cricket in the same period.

Technically the Rangiri pitch was not the easiest to bat on, but the manner in which India lost showed no signs of their being a young and vibrant side.

“There was definite assistance for the seamers. This wicket had a fair cover of grass but the base was dry and the ball was not really coming on to the bat. Stroke-making was difficult in the second innings,” said Dhoni. A well made point but the shot selection was within the grasp of the batsmen.

Silentbats
Last 10 ODI scores

Score Versus
5 New Zealand
0 Sri Lanka
13 Bangladesh
8* Sri Lanka
1 Bangladesh
74 Sri Lanka
23 Sri Lanka
6 Australia
9 Australia
12 Australia
Last 10 ODI scores

Score Versus
4 New Zealand
41 Sri Lanka
69 Sri Lanka
22 Pakistan
0 Bangladesh
32 Sri Lanka
13 Zimbabwe
101* Sri Lanka
114 Zimbabwe
48 South Africa