Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has hailed MS Dhoni’s fantastic performance in the first ODI at Dharamsala. With India reeling 29/7, Dhoni’s composed knock of 65 from 87 balls helped India post a target of more than hundred runs.
“It was a terrific innings from MS Dhoni,”
“It was a terrific innings from MS Dhoni,”
“He hit when he needed and rotated the strike when needed and that is why Virat Kohli persists with MS Dhoni in 50-over cricket,” Ganguly told reporters.
Suranga Lakmal troubled the Indian batsmen from the word go, finishing with figures of 4/13 in ten overs.
“It was a terrific innings from MS Dhoni,”
“He hit when he needed and rotated the strike when needed and that is why Virat Kohli persists with MS Dhoni in 50-over cricket,” Ganguly told reporters.
Suranga Lakmal troubled the Indian batsmen from the word go, finishing with figures of 4/13 in ten overs. “I feel it’s a one-off. India went in with young players in Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey. This is a lesson for India to learn from here,” he said.
“The likes of Rahane and Rahul must play consistently in ODI cricket. Yes, Iyer will be a good player down the line – even Pandey – but at the moment, they have been found wanting,” said the 45-year old.
Ganguly was particularly surprised by the exclusion of Rahane, who performed well in the limited-overs against New Zealand.
“I hope Rahane is back because he is quality.”
“In the last few series he has been among runs consistently. I was surprised that he was left out. You cannot compare Test form with one-day form. He needs to be there in the team especially when Virat Kohli is not there,” Ganguly said.
The series against Sri Lankan was apparently said to be a rehearsal for India before the tour of South Africa. However, the visitors, who loss 0-9 to India at their home two months back, came back stronger and are giving a tough fight to the hosts.
The second ODI will be played at Mohali on October 13, while the third one will be played on October 17 at Vishakapatnam.
“It was a terrific innings from MS Dhoni,”
“I hope Rahane is back because he is quality.”
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