Sanjay Bangar holds batsmen responsible for 4th ODI defeat against Windies

Although batting on Sir Vivian Richards Stadium’s sluggish track was difficult, Team India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar held batsmen responsible for a blotched chase. India did well to restrict hosts Windies to 188 in the first innings but lacked intent in pursuit of a meagre target.

Their chase bore similarities to their first innings in the third ODI. Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli departed inside the first powerplay, while Dinesh Karthik couldn’t contribute whatsoever on his comeback. The bulk of the work was left for MS Dhoni after Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya were dismissed as well.

In spite of the former captain’s 114-ball stay at the crease, MS wasn’t able to guide his team to the finish line. An anticlimactic finish saw India fall 11 runs short, handing the Windies an unexpected win to make it 2-1 in the series.

“It (the pitch) kept getting slower and shot-making wasn’t really easy. Those have been the nature of wickets we have seen so far. But we didn’t really bat to our potential. It was a gettable score. I just felt the batsmen let the team down,” said Bangar.

“We encountered this situation even in the previous game when we lost a couple of wickets in the first 10 overs but we still managed to get 260 on a wicket which was very very damp. Suffices to say we have been playing on wickets which have been difficult. Credit to them (West Indies). They executed their plans really well but I just felt it was a very very gettable score,” he added.

India’s batting struggles continue

Both Dhawan and Kohli failed to get to double figures, and the Windies had a tight grip on the Indian batsmen when Dinesh Karthik was struggling for runs. Rahane held on to one end and despite his strike rate hovering over 65, he added 60 runs for the team.

“The plan was for somebody to bat deeper into the innings. That’s what Ajinkya did till he got out. Till that time we were on course but suddenly we lost couple of wickets,” Bangar explained.

“Those wickets in the middle overs actually pushed us back. The run rate just kept on creeping higher and higher,” he said at the post-match press conference.

Sanjay was all praises for his bowling unit after they restricted the hosts to a sub-200 total. Making his ODI comeback after the 2015 World Cup, Mohammed Shami bowled 2 maidens up front to force the Windies batsmen into their shells. Meanwhile, allrounder Hardik Pandya chipped in with 3 wicket and the Yadavs bagged five among themselves.

“He (Mohammad Shami) played warm-up games ahead of Champions Trophy, he picked up a couple of wickets. Even today he looked in good rhythm. Umesh bowled outstandingly well and so did Kuldeep Yadav. The bowling unit did really well to restrict them to 189. But today was an off day for our batters,” he said.

Shot-selection can improve

According to the batting coach, the Indian team’s shot selection in the second innings was rather poor, which cost them the game. Bangar mentioned that the platform was ideal for India’s lower middle-order to prove its worth. However, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja couldn’t step up to the task.

“That is the goal of the team. You need to put the players in those situations which they are going to encounter at that particular position. Kedar at No.6 or Hardik at No.7. You need to see how they handle the pressure and how they need to make sure the team finishes the crossing line,” the 44-year-old said.

“These are big experiences for them. When Hardik, Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) got out it was still run-a-ball. In these situations shot selection was really crucial and at times I just felt they erred in that,” Bangar shared.

Ravindra Jadeja was chosen ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin for the 4th ODI. Jadeja found a spot in the team after the first three ODIs, but the all-rounder failed to make any impact with both bat and ball. However, he backed Jadeja and expects him to show up in the next game.

“He (Jadeja) has already done really well in the Test format. You saw that in the last season. He produced match- winning performances in Dharamsala and Mohali Tests. He produced some really brilliant innings for the team,” he said.

“But as far as ODI cricket is concerned he really bats down the order and I feel those are certain things that get magnified because it’s not that only the lower-order should contribute, it’s also about what we did early on in the innings. So, let’s not be too harsh on Jadeja,” he added.

“Today he ended up conceding under 5 runs an over. He bowled with the wind while the other spinners were bowling against the wind. At times we are not going to churn out performances,” Bangar further said.

Backs MS Dhoni 

Most of all, it was MS Dhoni who faced the brunt of the criticism for not being able to take the team home. Many questioned his ability to finish games and lashed out at his snail’s pace innings. Sanjay nevertheless clarified that Dhoni did not have much of an option but to play cautiously.

“You need to assess the conditions. At times you need to play according to the demand of the situation. MS (Dhoni) is batting higher up the order. The kind of depth we have in our batting order at No. 6, 7 and 8 when they can’t really come off, he (Dhoni) can’t play with the freedom that he should. It all boils down to how the batsmen at the other end are batting, how many wickets we have in hand,” the coach concluded.

Both teams now head to Kingston for the final ODI. While the Windies still have a chance to square the series, India will look to make it 3-1 at Sabina Park on Thursday.