I will give a lot of credit to the bowlers: MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni and his men completed the T20I series in an emphatic fashion after they defeated Australia by 7 wickets to complete a rare whitewash. The SCG T20I, which was being termed as dead rubber between both the teams, turned out to be riveting contest. The day began with the Watson’s blitzkrieg innings 124 runs which powered Australia to highly formidable 197/5 after 20 overs.  The target was intimidating but the Indian opener started with a bang. The top order did a fantastic job. The Australian bowlers kept their team in contest till the last over. Suresh Raina was outstanding and kept India on the course of the win. The struggling Yuvraj Singh stunned the Aussies in the last over and the thrilling match eventually finished in India’s favour.

There are a lot of positives for MS Dhoni’s men, especially in the bowling department. The blame for the loss in the ODI series could be put on the Indian bowlers. However, with an influx of young blood in the bowling attack the equation has changed completely for India.

MS Dhoni never openly critiques anyone after a loss but always acknowledges good job publicly. In the post match conference, Dhoni did exactly the same as he gave the credits to the bowlers for the win and pointed out the difference between the performances in ODIs and T20Is. He also expressed the need and importance of all-rounder in the team. Dhoni said: “I think I will give a lot of credit to the bowlers. The batsmen were doing well in the ODI series as well. I think that’s what has changed after the 4th ODI. The batsmen too have notched up 10 percent more, but the bowlers are the ones, who have done a fantastic job in this series. If everything goes well, this will be our side for the World T20. Maybe 2-3 changes because the conditions will be a little different in India. But mostly, it will almost stay the same for the World T20. We need those part timers, Yuvraj, Pandya and Raina. They give you the extra option with the ball and that gives us more depth as a side. Both (Kohli and Rohit) of them are playing really well and it’s important for them to enjoy their cricket at the moment. There are times when you won’t score many runs, it’s bound to happen to everyone and that’s why it’s important for them to score as many as possible when they are in such good form.”

Australia’s stand in skipper Shane Watson was named as the Man of the Match for his record breaking knock 124 off just 71 balls. However, it was bad captaincy debut in the T20Is for all-rounder as he lost began on a losing note. Watson spoke about the need for a proper team combination ahead of the World T20. Watto also expressed his happiness of leading his country and also did not forget to praise his Indian counterparts. Watson said: “They’re no doubt special (talking about the Indian batting). They showed it in the ODI series and now in the T20Is as well. They have got some really great world-class players, it’s always difficult to beat them. I am just loving every minute of playing for Australia. I feel privileged to captain my country. It can be hectic at times, but it has been a lot of fun. I do enjoy batting at the top of the order. Initially, I could play well and then I took the momentum forward. Once we really solidify our combination for the World T20, we have got some world-class players as well, we should have a very successful tournament. We just need to get our team right.”

Kohli ended the series on a high note and was adjudged as the Man of the Series. He credited his team mates for this amazing victory. Kohli said:  “It feels really special right now. We wanted to finish the tour on 4-4 and I am really happy with the way we finished the game. The credit goes to the whole team, everyone has played well. I was pretty disappointed when I got out because I wanted to finish the game today. It was great to see Yuvi and Raina finishing it for us, great to see them both performing like that and winning it for us. I have always said this before as well, I am a big fan of Rohit’s batting. Everything is just so easy for him, he deserves a lot of credit, along with Shikhar Dhawan as well. I would like to think so (on being the favourites to win the World T20). We have a few more games before the World T20 and we would like to keep doing better.”