Dhoni not happy with fielding

Feb. 20: Having buried the ghosts of the past with a convincing 87-run victory over Bangladesh in the tournament opener on Saturday, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was upbeat about the team’s show, save for their fielding, which he felt was a concern.

“We did well in the bowling and batting departments. But fielding is a big area of concern. All the good teams are also good fielding sides,” said Dhoni after the victory.

He also praised the match-winning 203-run partnership between Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli, who notched up contrasting centuries.

“(That) partnership was important and helped us to stabilise the innings. It was difficult to bat on a slow pitch in the afternoon. But someone had to stay in the middle till the end and that’s what Sehwag did,” Dhoni said.

In subcontinent conditions, where spinners are expected to play a key role, he felt that the pacers will also come into play with their reverse swing. “It’s a tournament where reverse swing will come into action and where fast bowlers will contribute in the Power Play and the slog overs. If the opposition does not have wickets in hand and the fast bowlers can utilise the conditions when the ball gets old, then it can be tricky,” he added.

It’s ok, says Sachin. Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar’s run-out due to a mix-up was perhaps the only low point of Sehwag’s scintillating knock, but the Indian opener said his senior partner took the dismissal in his stride as, for him, winning the game was more important. “He was calling, and I was not listening, and I was looking at the ball,” he said.

“But when I went to the dressing room, he said: ‘It’s okay. What’s important is to win the game for the country. It’s not important who is performing’,” Sehwag said.

Sehwag and Tendulkar had put on 69 by the 11th over when the run-out happened. Tendulkar charged down the wicket after driving a ball but Sehwag did not respond as he was busy looking in the ball’s direction. Sehwag said the win has maintained the momentum that the team carried from back-to-back wins in the practice games against Australia and NZ.

“It is so important to have momentum going your way. If you don’t have it, you tend to lose matches a lot more. We have been very consistent in the three games we have played so far and this will help us play better as the tournament goes on.”

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