ICC World Cup 2019 | Sending MS Dhoni to bat at no.7 was team decision, states Ravi Shastri
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Ravi Shastri has stated that the decision to send Dhoni to bat at no.7 was a unanimous one with everybody agreeing with it. Shastri also admitted that India needed a solid batsman in the middle-order to stabilize things when the chips were down which ultimately led to their defeat.
The Indian Cricket Team's coach Ravi Shastri has summed up India's World Cup campaign in three words - ”GUTTED, TOUGH luck, sport.”, after the Men in Blue crashed out of the World Cup, losing in the semi-final to a spirited New Zealand side. Shastri has now revealed that he gathered the players together after the defeat, asking them to be proud of their efforts having been the best team in the World for the past two years.
“Walk out with your heads held high. Be proud. Those 30 minutes can’t erase the fact that you guys have been the best team in the last couple of years. You guys know it. One tournament, one series — and that, too, 30 minutes of play can’t decide that. You guys have earned that respect. Of course, we are all hurt and disappointed but, in the end, be proud of what you have done for the last two years.,” Shastri said to the Indian team, he revealed in an interview to the Indian Express.
Despite the collapsing to 5/3 and 24/4, a certain MS Dhoni was nowhere to be seen in the middle, and the veteran came out to bat only at no.7, behind Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik. While this move has come under criticism by several greats including Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, Shastri has defended the decision, claiming the whole team took the decision keeping the value of Dhoni's wicket and his finishing ability in hindsight.
“It was a team decision. Everyone was in with it — and it was a simple decision, too. Last thing you wanted was Dhoni coming out to bat early and getting out — that would have killed the chase. We needed his experience later. He is the greatest finisher of all times — and it would have been criminal to not make use of him in that way. The whole team was clear on it," Shastri said, speaking about to move to send Dhoni at no.7.
The uncertainty over the no.4 spot has been looming over the past year, and Shastri admitted that India needed a solid batsman in the middle to hold the innings together. The Indian coach also claimed that things went out of control due to the unfortunate injuries to Shikhar Dhawan and Vijay Shankar.
Speaking about India's no.4 conundrum, Shastri said "In hindsight, yes, we did need a solid batsman out there in the middle order. But now, that’s something for the future. That’s a position that was always giving us problems, but we just couldn’t nail it. (K L) Rahul was there but then Shikhar Dhawan got injured. Then Vijay Shankar was there, and he got injured. We just couldn’t control it,".
The Indian coach also admitted that the team did consider opening with Mayank Agarwal while pushing Rahul back to no.4, but admitted that the team didn't have enough time left in their hands to experiment further.
"By the time Mayank came to join us, there wasn’t much time. If there was one more game, that is, if this semi-final was a game later, we would have definitely done it. He flew in, and Rahul had just hit a 60, and then a hundred. But I know what you mean; if we had one more game, that could well have been done,” Shastri said.
Shastri also lamented at the rain delay killing off India's momentum but admitted that it was a part and parcel of the sport. He also said that the team were hurting and disappointed over the loss, but showered praise on his men for the way they played, claiming that the team is on the right track going forward.
“Hurting, obviously. Disappointed, yes, but no tears. This is a tough team. A magnificent team. Look at how we bowled. The way the batsmen batted. A couple of youngsters might come in the middle and make this even more stronger. It’s a team on the right path — they know it.
"When you have played good and tough cricket for the last 30 months, this loss in the semi-final would hurt. It’s a tough pill to swallow and we are all gutted, but this is sport. That’s why we play it,” the Indian coach concluded.
