Dhoni criticised for 'baffling' approach against England
Birmingham, July 1: Wicketkeeper-batsman M.S. Dhoni once again found himself at the receiving end for his lack of intent during India''s first defeat in the ongoing World Cup as they lost to England by 31 runs at Edgbaston.
Chasing 337 on Sunday, India could manage 306/5 in their full quota of 50 overs with Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav remaining unbeaten on 42 (31 balls) and 12 (13 balls) respectively.
After Hardik Pandya fell in the 45th over of the chase, India required 71 from the final five overs. All eyes were on Dhoni who has been known as the chase master and is counted among the best finishers in the game.
However, the 37-year-old along with Jadhav, struggled and the duo were only able to fetch 39 in the final 31 balls, which included 20 singles and seven dot deliveries.
Dhoni''s batting approach was questioned by many, including the likes of former skippers Sourav Ganguly and Nasser Hussain.
"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 five 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 while commentating during the last 10 overs of India''s chase.
Hussain, who was commentating alongside Ganguly, also failed to understand the batting approach adopted by Dhoni in the death overs.
"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 two 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.
Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar also termed Dhoni's batting approach as "baffling".
"If there was any team that had the ability to stop India's winning run. It was England. Dhoni's approach in the last few overs however was baffling," said Manjrekar on Twitter.
Meanwhile, skipper Virat Kohli, once again came to Dhoni's defence and said that the wicket got slower towards the end of the game which made scoring big hits quite difficult.
"I think MS was trying really hard to get the boundary but it wasn't coming off. They bowled in good areas and the ball was stopping, hence it was difficult to bat towards the end," said Kohli after the game.
The good news for India, though, is that MS Dhoni's ODI average has gone up from 50.45 to 50.65
— Alan Gardner (@alanroderick) June 30, 2019
Nasir Hussain:
— Ram Subramanian (@VORdotcom) June 30, 2019
I don’t understand what Dhoni is doing? Atleast give it a go! Now the fans are leaving
Sourav Ganguly:
I have no explanation for this
People on twitter:
Match is fixed bro, match is definitely fixed.
If there was any team that had the ability to stop India’s winning run. It was England. Dhoni’s approach in the last few overs however was baffling. ?
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) June 30, 2019
Dhoni & Jadhav scored 39 runs off last 31 balls for the SIXTH wicket! That is beyond explanation! #INDvENG
— Satish Acharya (@satishacharya) June 30, 2019
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
