Rohit Sharma Defends MS Dhoni And Kedar Jadhav

India vice-captain Rohit Sharma has defended MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav after their baffling batting against England in the crucial World Cup clash on Sunday. India had the chance to seal their semifinal spot with two games remaining but they lost the match by 31 runs in Birmingham. Chasing an improbable 338, India finished on 306 for 5.

Ever since the game has ended, the result has taken the backseat and MS Dhoni has once again become the centre of attention. The former India captain failed to justify his reputation as a ‘finisher’ once again with a terrible batting display that lacked intent.  India needed 71 runs from the final five overs to maintain their unbeaten run in the tournament with former captain Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav in the middle.

Also Read: Sourav Ganguly, Nasser Hussain Blast MS Dhoni For His Knock Against England

But the two never looked like taking the attack to the opposition. Both Dhoni and Jadhav looked more than content to knock the ball around rather than going for big hits. They managed just 39 runs in the final five overs as India suffered their first loss of the competition. Fans as well as former cricketers have come down hard on Dhoni for failing to deliver again.

However, Rohit Sharma has defended teammates, saying both Dhoni and Jadhav could not hit the big shots because of the slow pitch.

“When Mahi and Kedar were batting, they were trying to hit (boundaries) but were not able to because of the slowness of the pitch,” Rohit Sharma, who top-scored for India with 102, said.

“Towards the end it got pretty slow. We got to give credit to the English team, they used the conditions very well. They mixed up their variations quite nicely and kept us guessing all through the game,” he added.

Dhoni remained not out on 42 off 31 balls, having hit the only six in the Indian innings, compared to England’s 13. On the other hand, Jadhav managed just 12 from 13 balls. India will next take on Bangladesh and will be desperate to seal their spot in the last four.