Michael Vaughan takes sly dig at India regarding loss to England
Former England captain Michael Vaughan took a sly dig at India following West Indies' efforts to win the match against Sri Lanka on Monday despite it being a stiff ask.
Chasing a mammoth target of 339 for victory, the Windies rode on Nicholas Pooran's valiant 118 off 103 balls to reach 315 for 9 in 50 overs and eventually lost by 23 runs, even after they were reduced to 84 for 4 in the 18th over.
Chasing 339 to win, Nicholas Pooran's 103-ball 118 took West Indies close but in the end, Windies lost by just 23 runs as they reached 315/9 from their quota of 50 overs at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street.
Following the game, Harsha Bhogle praised West Indies' never-say-die attitude on Twitter.
"Got to love the West Indies. Even when the target is seemingly beyond reach, they keep going for it," Bhogle tweeted.
Replying to the tweet, Vaughan, took a jibe at India and their efforts against England a day before.
"Unlike India," wrote Vaughan.
India needed 71 to win off 31 balls on Sunday when Hardik Pandya fell but Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav just played out the remaining balls without showing much intent. Dhoni and Jadhav played out 7 dots and ran 20 singles in the 31 balls when the need of the hour was only boundaries.
Their approach drew severe criticism from former players and fan alike.
"I am completely baffled. What's going on! This is not what India needed. They need runs. What are they doing? Some Indian fans are leaving now. Surely they must want to see Dhoni go for his shots, even if he slogs it off in the air. It's a World Cup game, top 2 sides, give it a go! Indian fans would want their side to do a little bit more. They want their side to go down with a fight. Risk it to win it," said Hussain during his commentary stint during the last stages of the Indian innings.
Ganguly too seemed surprised by India's approach and said that having 5 wickets in hand and still ending up playijng dots was strange.
Ganguly, who was doing the same along with the former England captain was equally shocked at the approach of Dhoni and Jadhav towards the fag end of the innings.
"I don't have an explanation for that. You asked me the question but I can't explain these singles. It's also the length and the bounce that has deceived the Indian batsmen. You can't be chasing 338 and still have 5 wickets in the end. It's about mindset and the way you look at the game. The message had to be clear: no matter where it comes and no matter where the ball lands you have to find the boundary," said Ganguly.
However, India will have the chance to right the wrongs and shrug off the disappointment on Tuesday when they play Bangladesh at the same vanue.
A win for India will seal their semi-finals berth and knock Bangladesh out of the tournament while a loss for the Men in Blue will mean they have to beat Sri Lanka in their last game to be certain of a last-four spot.
