MS Dhoni's struggle reminded me of my most infamous innings, says Sunil Gavaskar

MS Dhoni's struggle reminded me of my most infamous innings, says Sunil Gavaskar

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Sunil Gavaskar stated that MS Dhoniā€™s slow innings of 37 runs off 59 balls reminded him of his own ā€˜infamousā€™ innings, in which he batted whole 60 overs, making just 36 not out as India lost by 202 runs. He also insisted that India should not panic and they have the strength to make a comeback.

Aided by a bold decision to bat first, Eoin Morgan-led England made a comeback in the ODI series with an 86-run win against India at Lord's. Batting first, England were egged on by Joe Root's well-orchestrated ton - just his second century in the last year in ODIs. A late blitz from David Willey took them to 322, a total from where they could dictate terms. Sunil Gavaskar insisted that Indiaā€™s poor bowling in the death overs cost them the match.

ā€œIndia have made life a touch hard for them by losing the second ODI at Lord's. On a pitch that had little for the bowlers, the Indians were taken for plenty especially in the last ten overs and that is where the game slipped out of their hands. Without Bhuvaneshwar and Bumrah, the final overs are generally a free for all for the opposition batsmen and David Willey played some bold strokes to take England to 322 when they should have been restricted to under 300,ā€ wrote Sunil Gavaskar in his column for TOI.Ā 

India's famed top-order, for once, didn't fire at all and too much was left for the middle-order. India were eventually bowled out for 236. Rohit Sharma, who was dismissed while trying to slog David Willey out of the park, was termedĀ irresponsible by Gavaskar, who also stated that Indiaā€™s performance was similar to that of Champions Trophy final against Pakistan, where India got all out for 158.Ā 

ā€œAs we saw in a similar situation against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final last year, the response was one of panic. Then Rohit Sharma got a beauty that trapped him leg before wicket for a duck, but here he went for a wild slog, missed and was bowled. If that was a regular shot, then it would be understandable, but it was across the line which is what he seldom does,ā€ Gavaskar wrote.

Despite the three early wickets, Rohit, Shikhar Dhawan, and KL Rahul, IndiaĀ appeared to have some sort of comeback as Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli stitched up an 80-run stand. However, with the spinners coming into the fray, the runs dried up. The tourists were 140 for four, needing a further 183 runs in 23 overs to reach their target of 323, when MS Dhoni walked out to bat. It was a situation that needed aggressive batting from Dhoni, yet instead, he made a slow 37 off 59 balls with just two boundaries. Gavaskar stated that Dhoni's innings reminded him of his own infamous innings against England at Lord's in the inaugural match of the first World Cup in 1975, when he made 36 not out in a 60-over match and his side lost by a mammoth 202 runs.

ā€œRaina brought his experience into play, but that was not enough and when Kohli played across his front leg and missed to be out leg before to Moeen Ali, it was all over bar the shouting. Dhoni's struggle was understandable because when confronted with an impossible situation, the options get limited and the mind becomes negative. Then all the good shots go straight to the fielder to add to the dot balls and the pressure becomes too much. Dhoni's struggle reminded me of my most infamous innings at the same venue,ā€ he stated.

However, Gavaskar insisted that India has the strength to make a comeback in the decider at Headingley on Tuesday and they should not panic.Ā Ā 

ā€œThere is no need to panic though as India can turn it around with some disciplined bowling and building partnerships while batting. What Lord's has shown though is that England are the No. 1 side for a reason and that India will have to lift their game to win the series,ā€ he added.Ā 

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