Australia vs India 2018-19: Dean Jones Surprised by the Amount of Criticism MS Dhoni Received After Sydney Knock

Former Australia cricketer Dean Jones seemed surprised by the amount of criticism directed towards former Indian National Cricket team skipper MS Dhoni following his slow knock in the Sydney ODI. Meanwhile, Dhoni played a 96-ball 51 runs as the required run-rate mounted on the visitors which resulted in a 34-run loss.

However, Dean Jones has defended MS Dhoni saying the former captain walked in at a time when his team was struggling. India lost their first three wickets inside four overs which required him to dig in and guide the team out of the nervy phase.

“I cannot believe how much criticism MS Dhoni has got about losing the game, and how the press and all the pundits in the world have gone after him,” Jones wrote in his column for The Times of India on Tuesday.

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“Do people actually not understand what it takes to come in when the team is four for three? Number one, you have got to stop the bleeding, and he did that. Number two, he got a shocking lbw decision. And Number 3, at the end of the game with around six overs to go, Australia were worried, mainly due to the efforts of Rohit Sharma and Dhoni,” he added.

India needs to stop Australia’s middle-order

In addition to, Dean Jones believes Virat Kohli & Co will have to stop India’s middle-order if they aim to level the series. India trails 1-0 in the three-match series after their loss in Sydney.

“What Virat needs to do is stop the Australian middle order; they have made sure they’ve got guys in the middle who play spin well, particularly (Peter) Handscomb,” he concluded.