India wins Asia T-20 because M S Dhoni struck exactly when required

India won the Asia T-20 final at Mirpur in Bangladesh because M S Dhoni came to the crease just when required. And, the opportunity came when Shikhar Dhawan lost his wicket. If he had not gone out and Dhoni did not enter the scene, the result could have been quite different because with the number of balls reducing and the asking rate climbing, it was necessary to go in for the big hits.
And, captain Dhoni did just that.
With the flurry of his bat, he scored an unbelievable 20 runs in just six deliveries - 2 sixers, one boundary, a single and a 3!! And, thus, it came to pass that India lifted the Asia Cup trophy without losing a single match in the tournament in a rain curtailed 15-over match.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 7 March 2016.

India won the toss and asked the hosts to bat first and they posted a total of 120 in the allotted 15 overs. With an initial asking rate of 8 runs per over, the Indians took the field and appeared to have lost momentum when in the 13th over, they lost the 2nd wicket. They had plenty of wickets on hand but the time was running out and the stadium was tense.
It was at such a time that captain Dhoni entered the scene once Shikhar Dhawan went out after scoring 60 runs. It was a do or die situation for the seasoned Dhoni and he just went ahead playing his strokes as if he had been at the crease from the beginning.
Dhoni has been criticized on a number of counts but it is a fact that he does not hesitate to take the bull by its horns and play the game the way he only can. Let us now wait for the T-20 World Cup and his performances.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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India wins 3rd ODI at Mirpur – Bangladesh lose the chance of a whitewash

#INDvBAN #SureshRaina #ShikharDawan #ViratKohli #Mirpur Bangladesh could not do the whitewash and India beat the home team at Mirpur by 77 runs to win the 3rd ODI and but lose the series 2-1. If only they had played a proper game and had not been overconfident in the previous games, the result could have been different.
Bangladesh won the toss and asked India to bat first. India put up an impressive score of 317 for loss of 6 wickets and Bangladesh fell short by 77 runs.
This has been reported in hindustantimes.com dated 24 June 2015.

Some long partnerships helped India go past the 300 run mark. There was Dhoni's 93-run stand for the fourth wicket with Ambati Rayudu (44 off 49) and Dhawan's 75-run partnership for the second wicket with Virat Kohli (25 off 35).
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (69 runs off 77 balls) and opener Shikhar Dhawan (75 off 73) played to their potentials.
Man of the Match was Suresh Raina who had put an all-round effort with both the bat and the ball – he scored 38 before ending with career-best figures of three for 45.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Once minnows, Bangladesh is now a giant killer – wins series against India

#INDvBAN #MustafizurRahman #Mirpur #Dhoni Once considered to be minnows, Bangladesh has now risen in stature and has become a giant killer. They demolished the pride of the Indian batsmen and made them grovel for runs on a wicket where the home team played with ease and aplomb.
India could score only 200 runs and the home team easily overtook them with 54 balls remaining.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 21 June 2015.

Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first – probably he had a feeling that the Indians had lost the 1st ODI because they batted second, hence he will try a new strategy. He also inducted three new faces and dropped three others, once again as a part of his plans to do something new.
But – both backfired and he and his team was left to lick their wounds because Indian wickets fall like nine pins and India lost the match as well as the series to Bangladesh. Dhoni had promoted himself up the batting order but that did not help – the Bangladesh bowlers were disciplined, bowled to a plan and gave away no easy runs.
Moreover, from the looks on his face, Dhoni appeared to be having something on his mind. It could be related to problems in the dressing room – who knows. The fact remains that it was not India’s day.
It was the debutant bowler 19-year-old Mustafizur Rahman who devastated the famed batting lineup of the Indians with a haul of 6 wickets in the 2nd ODI. That, when added to the 5 wickets he had taken, made him a world record holder.
With this win, Bangladesh sealed a berth in the 2017 Champions Trophy – they have finished as one of the top eight teams in the ICC ODI rankings.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Our blue-eyed boys in Blue left red-faced in Mirpur after loss of 1st ODI

It was a pathetic display of one day cricket put up by our blue-eyed boys in Blue after they were left red-faced following the loss of the 1st ODI at Mirpur by 79 runs.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 19 June 2015.

Batting first, the young team of Bangladesh began attack from the very first ball and left the Indian bowlers clueless on how to control the flow of runs. The Bangladesh batsmen treated the Indian bowlers with disdain and belted them to all corners of the stadium. Ravichandra Ashwin managed to bag three wickets but Umesh Yadav came in for plenty of punishment.
Anyway, the way Bangladesh was playing, at one point of time it appeared that they would post around 350 runs – but, finally, it was 307 and it was a formidable one as it turned out when the Indians took the field.
The bowling of the home team was superb as was their fielding and they gave nothing away. The Indians had to grovel for runs and it played in their nerves. Rohit Sharma was the highest scorer – he scored 63 runs. Apart from him, others who reached double figures were Shikhar Dhawan (30), Suresh Raina (40), Ravindra Jadeja (32). Bhubaneshwar Kumar (25) and Mohit Sharma(11).
Obviously, the Bangladesh team has matured and Indians cannot take them lightly. They had done their homework while Indians were overconfident. This is a 3 ODI series and with one loss, Captain M S Dhoni would have to rethink his strategies if he wants to win the series. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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BCCI says ‘No’ to Dhoni and Kohli – they have to go to Bangladesh

There were rumors that M S Dhoni and Virat Kohli wanted to take a break and not go to Bangladesh but BCCI has not agreed. The players announced for the tour include both of them – while Kohli would be captain of the test squad, Dhoni would be captain of the ODI matches.
This has been reported in zeenews.com dated 21 May 2015.

Mashrafe Mortaza, the captain of the Bangladesh team, is a happy man because India has announced full-strength squads for its tour next month. During last year’s Bangladesh tour, India had rested both Dhoni and Kohli and the team was led by Suresh Raina.
Mohammad Shami has been left out due to injuries and Harbhajan Singh has been recalled after a gap of two years. As per this year’s itinerary, the Indians would arrive in Bangladesh for a Test and three ODIs on June 7. There would be only one test match and it would be played at Fatullah’s Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium. It will begin on June 10. The day-night ODIs will be held at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on June 18, 21 and 24.
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M S Dhoni and Virat Kohli want to skip Bangladesh tour

#IPL8 #bangladeshtour #ViratKohli #mirpur It is reported that both M S Dhoni and Virat Kohli have requested BCCI to be excluded from the team that would be going to Bangladesh for another round of cricket. As per the tentative schedule – there would be a one-off Test at Fatullah from June 10-14. That will be followed by a best-of-three ODI series from June 18-24 – all of these matches would be played at Mirpur and there would be one reserve day each.
This has been reported in cricbuzz.com dated 15 May 2015.

The IPL season is coming to an end in another weeks’ time. Indian cricketers had been fully engaged in the past several months with tours abroad in England and Australia-New Zealand followed by the 2015 Cricket World Cup. It is but natural that tiredness has set in and the players would like to have some time off to spend with their families. MS Dhoni has already announced retirement from Test cricket and Virat Kohli has been named the new captain. He had led the team in Australia after Dhoni's announcement at the conclusion of the third Test at Melbourne. However, he also wants to be excused from the Bangladesh tour.
Bangladesh cricket were minnows but, today, it is on the upswing and, in case India decides to send a No 2 team, it would reflect poorly on the commitment of Indian cricket to the cause of the game.
The selectors would decide on the team on 20 May.
(Image source wikimediacommons.org)

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