Former India legendary batsmen cricketers VVS Laxman and Former pace bowler Ajit Agarkar slammed MS Dhoni for his average performance against New Zealand at Rajkot on Saturday and said that it was time for Team India to look for other options in Twenty20 cricket. Chasing a mammoth 197 in the second T20I at Rajkot on Saturday, India fell short of the target by 40 runs.
Skipper Virat Kohli was critical of the batsmen saying they were 'not good enough'. Dhoni joined Kohli at the crease when India were 67/4 in 9.1 overs and 130 runs are still need from 65 balls. Almost 2 runs per ball or 12 runs per over need. While Kohli was hitting boundaries at will, the former India captain was finding it difficult to get going. Dhoni took 18 balls to score just 16 runs, which shifted the momentum in New Zealand's favor and create pressure on Virat and his side as India need 72 runs in the last four over.
"In T20s, MS Dhoni's role is at No 4. He requires more time to get his eye in and then do the job. But on Saturday was a classic example because when Virat Kohli was batting, Dhoni had to give the strike to Kohli. Kohli's strike rate was 160, MS Dhoni's strike rate was 80. That's not good enough when India was chasing a mammoth total," Laxman said in a post-match show.
The series is locked at 1-1 now and the decider will be played on Tuesday in Thiruvananthapuram.
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