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This article was first published 10 years ago

PHOTOS: After thrashing WI, batting untested, says Dhoni

March 24, 2014 09:00 IST

Image: MS Dhoni
Photographs: Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images

After an easy victory over the West Indies in Mirpur on Sunday, the Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was in an upbeat mood.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy was in no mood to press panic button.

-Scorecard

-PHOTOS: India vs West Indies

With top order clicking for India consistently, not many of their batsmen have got a chance to bat so far in the World Twenty20 but Dhoni feels the batsmen will be tested in the coming games.

India beat West Indies by seven wickets following an identical win over arch-rivals Pakistan. They next meet hosts Bangladesh and another win will ensure a semifinal berth for the side.

"We are playing well, so it doesn't really matter to me that all of us should get a chance, our bowling has been tested while batting not so far. Hopefully, in the coming matches the other batsmen will get a chance," Dhoni said.

No reliable bowler in death overs

Image: Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Photographs: Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images

Asked if it was a worry that India do not have a reliable bowler to bowl in the death, Dhoni said, "To some extent it is."

"We don't have a banker; most of the sides have someone who can fall back to a bowler in the 18th and 20th over. We are playing games to some extent, to see who is better suited, depending on the conditions," he added.

Tags: Dhoni , India

Rohit Sharma's confidence will soar

Image: Rohit Sharma
Photographs: BCCI

Dhoni said opener Rohit Sharma's unbeaten knock of 62 will boost his confidence, moving forward in the tournament.

"It was important for Rohit to bat through, that will add on to the confidence. It was a slow wickets and batting here does well to the confidence of a batsman. We all know the kind of batsman he is, on a pitch like this, he will take plenty from this game and take forward," he said.

 

'Let's take it one game at a time'

Image: Mahendra Singh with teammates
Photographs: Getty Images

Dhoni was okay with easy win but felt that the side would have surely done better, if they could have finished the match earlier. India took 19.4 overs to overhaul the modest 130-run target.

"Let's take it one game at a time, no point thinking too much ahead, but if we could have finished it an over earlier that would have been good. But that was up to the batsmen in the middle," he said.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who was playing only his third T20 international, was adjudged Man of the Match, his second in a row. Asked if he thinks, that these performances will help him get back his place in ODIs also, Mishra said, "I am happy to get back-to-back award. At the time I am performing well. That's more important for me."

Mihsra said he was working hard in the nets to present a tough challenge to the batsmen.

"Every team has different strength; I am trying to sort out their weaknesses. I've done a lot of hard work in the nets for my variations and I'm happy they are coming out well."

'We just didn't respond well enough to their spinners'

Image: West Indies' wicketkeeper Andre Fletcher, centre, and captain Darren Sammy,right, appeal for India's Shikhar Dhawan's dismissal successfully
Photographs: Andrew Biraj/Reuters

West Indies skipper Darren Sammy said India's spinner dominated them but also praised his bowlers to stretch India's chase to the last over.

"We just didn't respond well enough to their spinners. It was good to see our bowlers take it all the way to the last over, because in these tournaments net run rate could come into play," he said.

Sammy in no mood top hit panic button

Image: West Indies' Chris Gayle, left, leaves the field as India's fielders celebrate his dismissal during their ICC Twenty20 World Cup match at the Sher-E-Bangla National Stadium
Photographs: Andrew Biraj/Reuters

"We did not have enough runs on the board but happy with the way the bowlers came back. Kohli and Rohit had a good partnership that took the game away from us."

Sammy was not over-worried about the batting failure. "We know what our top order can do, it's just one game, we have three to go. No panic button, we are still confident going to regroup and come back in two days' time," he said.

Tags: Sammy , Rohit