World Cup 2019: MS Dhoni’s knock against West Indies a top-rated one, feels Jasprit Bumrah

India wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni had mixed reaction over his batting in the match against the West Indies at Old Trafford on Thursday. India won the toss and elected to bat. Rohit Sharma had a controversial dismissal and Vijay Shankar and Kedar Jadhav did not last too long. It was then up to Dhoni to give in-form captain Virat Kohli a company. Dhoni came out to bat when India were 140 for 4 in the 29th over. The 37-year-old batsman was off to a slow start to his knock which earned him some reaction.

It was after Kohli’s dismissal that Hardik Pandya came to the crease and gave Dhoni a worthy company as the two added 70 runs in 10 overs to take India’s score to 250. Dhoni, who was batting on 23 off 43 balls at one stage, started opening up more and plundered 16 runs off the last over from Oshane Thomas. He finished on 56 not out 61 balls with the help of three fours and two sixes.

Dhoni’s half-century and the subsequent thumping win for India by 125 runs saved the day but questions were still being raised about the India wicket-keeper’s slow batting. In the previous game against Afghanistan in Southampton, too, Dhoni came under the scanner for scoring 28 off 52 balls and getting stumped while trying to accelerate the innings. Against the Caribbeans, too, Dhoni had a close shave as the wicket-keeper failed to dismiss him when he was batting on just eight.

However, Dhoni’s team-mates didn’t find anything wrong with his performance and backed him. Besides Kohli, spearhead Jasprit Bumrah too supported him and felt his knock in Manchester on Thursday was a “top rated” one. The 25-year-old bowler also said that he did the right thing by spending time in the middle.

“The innings that he played is the kind which is very under-rated. Sometimes you might feel that he is batting slow but sometimes it is important that he takes time, which he did,” Bumrah was quoted as saying on bcci.tv.

‘Youngsters can learn a lot from this knock’

As per Bumrah who came up with another dazzling show with the ball by picking two for just nine runs in six overs, the veteran keeper-batsman absorbs the pressure and takes the game deep. He said the team knew there were pinch-hitters coming in next and hence Dhoni could take his time at the middle. ”Youngsters can learn a lot from this knock,” he added.

Bumrah’s wickets came in back-to-back balls and he came very close to matching Mohammed Shami’s hattrick taken in the last match against Afghanistan.