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Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s inability to go for the big shots during the closing stages of the first One-Day International against South Africa, which India lost by five runs, raised question marks on whether the India captain is still India’s best finisher in ODIs.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, however, believes one poor performance can’t take the sheen away from someone who has served India for so long.
“Mahendra Singh Dhoni is still India’s No. 1 finisher. Obviously, as you get old your powers get less but that is the case with every profession and not just sports. Whenever there is a loss, we like to find a scapegoat and today the Indian captain is being made that, which is not right,” Gavaskar told reporters.
“Please don’t point fingers at someone who has brought so many laurels to the country over the years. If there is one area where the Indian team has to improve, it is the bowling,” he added.Gavaskar said that the way the bowlers were thrashed by the South Africans in the latter stages of the match showed that they didn’t want to learn from their mistakes.
“Bowling is a big worry for the Indian team in the current situation. Our bowlers got hit for 100-odd runs in the last 10 overs. It was sad to see that the bowlers, who have spent so much time with the Indian team were not confident in the death overs. I can understand that a yorker may go fuller, but if someone is bowling length balls that are getting clobbered into the stands then it seems that you are not ready to learn,” he said.
“And if you are not ready to learn then you have got no place in the team. I personally want to see Mohit Sharma in the team. He bowls well in the limited overs format and the death overs so he might be included. I also want Bhuvneshwar Kumar to get regular opportunities.”
The 66-year-old lauded Rohit Sharma’s 133-ball 150 that took India almost to victory.
“Rohit Sharma is now an important member of the Indian team. He scored half the runs of the Indian innings and that says it all. He kept the flow of runs intact. He also played some exqusite shots, especially that sweep off JP Duminy,” he said.
Gavaskar also emphasised on getting the batting order right as India did not have an experienced tail.
“In the absence of a genuine all-rounder, the top six batsmen need to take more responsibility. I would prefer Virat Kohli to come at No. 3 and Ajinkya Rahane come at No 4. And after that Dhoni and Suresh Raina may be shifted according to the situation.”
