Bangladesh have improved a lot and are a very good team: MS Dhoni

UAE were never expected to pose a threat against the Indian lineup that had stroked off all the opponents that came their way thus far in the Asia Cup T20. MS Dhoni flipped the coin, Amjad Javed won the toss and decided to bat first, this kept India devoid of the chance to give all their batsmen a stay in the middle but their bowlers definitely had a good day on the field with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah bowling accurate line and length to start with. Bhuvi got the first breakthrough, Bumrah got another in his next over and thereafter all the bowlers that bowled got wickets as no UAE batsman had enough intent to stay in the middle except Shaiman Anwar who scored 43 off 48. His contribution to the total was more than 50% and that quite defines UAE’s batting effort.

The chase was an easy affair as Rohit Sharma played some lovely shots around the park and scored 39 before getting out. His was the only wicket to fall as Yuvraj (25 off 14) and Dhawan (16 from 20) took India home in 9.5 overs and 9 wickets in hand.

Most of the things that the Indian skipper tried today tuned his way. Right from the XI to the bowling changes and of course the decision to send in Yuvraj Singh at number 3. At the post-match presentation, MS Dhoni said: “You need 15 minutes to learn a bad habit but about 5-10 games to learn something good. It was important for the spare players to push the selectors and the skipper and show that they are good enough. And they did their best in the opportunity they got. It’s fantastic from our point of view. The batting might not change, maybe one here and there, but it’s important to get the bowlers a few games in case an injury happens. You can always look to improve. We could have taken one more wicket and reduced the runs early on; it’s always about improvement. You have to be at your best on the day and that’s what counts in knockout games. You can only do a few changes in the batting order. Others could do with some batting too but now everyone in the top 7-8 has got enough chances to bat and I feel less responsibility coming in at no. 7 or 8. Any team that plays at home is difficult to beat (talking about Bangladesh). But we have played some dominating cricket and have to come up with another big performance against Bangladesh. They have improved a lot and are a very good team.”

Answering the media in the post-match press conference Dhoni said: “Think it was important for Dhawan to spend some time in the middle and not look to get too many runs too soon.” I think the bowlers bowled well. Bhuvi swung the ball and his pace was up. Negi I felt was under pressure in the first over but gradually he was more himself. Bhuvneshwar is a hard working guy in the gym. That has helped him increase his pace and not lose his swing.

About India’s bowling today he said, “I think the bowlers bowled well. Bhuvi swung the ball and his pace was up. Negi I felt was under pressure in the first over but gradually he was more himself. Bhuvneshwar is a hard working guy in the gym. That has helped him increase his pace and not lose his swing.”

“I’m not getting rid of myself so soon. Over the years, Bangladesh have developed a lot. It will be a good final.” “As of now there are no injury concerns. There was no one rested today because of injury.”

When asked if someone was rested for today’s game with a niggle the Indian skipper said, “As of now there are no injury concerns. There was no one rested today because of injury.”

His reaction on the demise of New Zealand legend Martin Crowe, “I’ve not seen Martin Crowe play much. But, as is the case with NZ players, he was a fantastic human being. It’s a sad day for cricket.”

Indian opener Rohit Sharma was awarded the Man of the Match for his 28-ball 39.

Rohit said: “Wickets here have been challenging. Glad that we can put up a performance like that. You have to see off the conditions and get a hang of the conditions before playing your shots. On a wicket like this, you need to give yourself some time and I did exactly that tonight. Important to select your shots – when there’s extra bounce, you play a little bit squarer because it’s not easy to play on the up. That’s what our batsmen have been doing and we have been discussing that as well.”

There was not much UAE could do, they were up against a really good side and were beaten comprehensively. Skipper Amjad Javed said: “Yes, not enough runs. We planned to score 120 and put them under pressure but couldn’t. We were playing against the favourites of the tournament but we will come back harder and stronger when we represent UAE in the next tournament. When you have newcomers, it’s difficult when they are facing top-notch bowling. Hopefully after this experience, they will go back, play in the domestic tournaments and come back stronger. All our batsmen played well in the league stages against the top Associate sides. But the problem is that we only watch top quality bowling on TV. Now that they have faced it, they will come hard next time.”

Following the game, the Indian opener talked to the presenter. Shikhar Dhawan said: “I wanted that innings. Haven’t spent much time at the crease. The wicket does a bit and so I wanted to stay longer. As openers, we like to go in and cash in the first six overs. But there’s odd bounce and so we have to restrict our shots. Early wickets have been coming in this whole tournament. I was feeding off Rohit’s brilliance and it’s vice versa. Somedays I score quickly. We complement each other. I knew I can play more balls and get set tonight.”

What were the talking points in the game? – Asia Cup T20: India v UAE – 5 Talking Points