The answer is an emphatic NO. The bowling was pedestrian with Harbhajan & Ishant bowling like novices yesterday. On the batting, though Tendulkar failed, Dravid anchored the innings well and Gambhir & Raina really threatened to blast their way to victory. However they fell short.
What could be the single big reason for the fiasco? Answer is M.S.Dhoni.
- As a captain, he seemed to lack imagination.When Shoaib & Yousuf were peppering the offside with their shots, the field settings left much to be desired.Remember this was after Ashish Nehra had bowled well in his early spell and put Pakistan on the backfoot.
- The reason why Raina was not used a bowling option, especially after his recent bowling success in Sri Lanka is a question only Dhoni can answer.
- When Yusuf Pathan came in to bat at the fall of the fifth wicket, Dhoni should have realised that there was not much batting after that.So what was the point in delaying the Batting Team's Powerplay option? After a Yusuf had been in for a couple of overs, Batting Powerplay should have been resorted to. This would not only have helped Yusuf play more freely and get some big hits in, it would have also brought the required rate down and put Pakistan under some pressure.Ultimately Yusuf Pathan was caught by substitue Misbah-ul-Haq in the Slips, a position which might not have been manned in a powerplay.
- Finally, Dhoni the batsman failed. Let's face the fact--Dhoni's big-hitting and swing matches with whirlwind knocks are things of the past.Nowadays he bats doggedly taking ones and twos to such an extent that the big-hitting is left for too late and costing many matches. Dhoni should resort to batting down the order after all the specialist batsmen. We would like to see the Dhoni of old, a batsman who could tear bowling attacks to shreds. These days he seems to push & prod only.Is it the pressure of capatincy?
Pakistan with 2 wins is almost assured of a semi-final berth. India will need to win both against Australia and the West Indies to harbor any thoughts of a semi-final berth. Easier said than done.Unless Dhoni realises from his mistakes here and the team lifts itself , am afraid India will have to look at earlier flights back home from South Africa.
