JULY 14, 2019 • THE WEEK 49(Saifuddin) is a terrifi c No 8. He is Bangladesh’s No- If he goes in at No 8, we are in a good position. We
also need No 9, 10, and 11 to score runs.”
After the loss to England, the Indian team man-
agement defended Dhoni. Kohli described his ap-
proach as “calculated”, amid the barrage of criticism.
His deputy, Rohit Sharma, though conceded that
to chase target set by England the team “needed
somebody like Ben Stokes”. Th at Dhoni cannot now
do a Stokes is glaringly obvious.
“Nobody gets younger,” said Gaekwad. “Naturally,
refl exes slow down. It aff ects your batting.” He add-
ed that this was also the reason for Dhoni’s struggles
against spinners. “It is not that he does not have the
technique to play spin, but he is [not] judging the
ball early like he used to,” said Gaekwad.
India assistant coach Sanjay Bangar wondered
Dhoni, but a failure from either of the two would
put the onus back on Dhoni.
Kohli, the world’s best batsman, is yet to get a
century in the World Cup, though he continues
to be super consistent, having scored four 50s so
far. “If Kohli had faith in his middle and late order
batsmen, he would play more freely,” said Gaekwad.
“Th at confi dence is not there.” Bangladesh’s chase
against India highlights the latter’s problems. Bang-
ladesh’s No 8, Mohammad Saifuddin, kept the team
in the game with a feisty 51 not out off 38 balls. “In
the modern game, you need guys coming in at No 8,
9, 10 and even 11, who can win games with the bat,”
said Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes, talking about
Saifuddin’s role in the batting order. “You start
putting them too high, and you start having prob-
lems in your No 8, 9, 10 and 11 positions. I think he
BOUNCED OUT
Dhoni’s dismissal against
Bangladesh on July 2
REUTERS