Dhoni criticised for ‘baffling’ approach against England

Birmingham: Wicketkeeper-batsman M.S. Dhoni once again found himself at the receiving end for his lack of intent during India’s first defeat in the ongoing World Cup as they lost to England by 31 runs at Edgbaston.
Chasing 337 on Sunday, India could manage 306/5 in their full quota of 50 overs with Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav remaining unbeaten on 42 (31 balls) and 12 (13 balls) respectively.
After Hardik Pandya fell in the 45th over of the chase, India required 71 from the final five overs. All eyes were on Dhoni who has been known as the chase master and is counted among the best finishers in the game.
However, the 37-year-old along with Jadhav, struggled and the duo were only able to fetch 39 in the final 31 balls, which included 20 singles and seven dot deliveries.
Dhoni’s batting approach was questioned by many, including the likes of former skippers Sourav Ganguly and Nasser Hussain.
“I don’t have an explanation for that. You asked me the question but I can’t explain these singles. It’s also the length and the bounce that has deceived the Indian batsmen. You can’t be chasing 338 and still have five wickets in the end.