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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30th International Film Festival of Kerala to open with ‘Palestine 36’ film
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) beginning here on December 12, will open with the film “Palestine 36,” directed by Annemarie Jacir.
The film is an epic historical drama which portrays the Palestinian uprising against the British colonisation.
The opening film takes its name from the year when Palestine began to revolt against British rule and Zionism, a release from the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the organisers of the event, said on Sunday.
The IFFK, which enters its 30th edition, will be held at the state capital here from December 12 to 19.
The inaugural film was awarded the best film at the Tokyo International Film Festival and was Palestine's official entry for the best international feature film at the 98th Academy Awards.
Another film by Jacir, ‘Wajib’ for which she won the IFFK's Golden Crow Pheasant in 2017 will also be screened as part of the package of films which won Suvarna Chakoram in the early editions of the IFFK.
The Chalachitra Academy also announced that the Lifetime Achievement Award of the 30th IFFK will be conferred on renowned Malian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, in recognition of his profound contribution to world cinema.
Born in Kiffa, Mauritania, Sissako’s family moved to Mali, where he spent his childhood. He made his first short film Le Jeu (The Game) in 1989 as his graduation project.
His full-length feature film debut, Life on Earth (La Vie Sur Terre), released in 1999, was featured in the Directors' Fortnight sidebar at the Cannes Film Festival that year, and the definitive breakout hit was the 2014 film "Timbuktu."
Sissako's films are primarily focused on globalisation, displacement, exile, identity, and the struggles of everyday life in Africa, which helped bring African cinema into the global spotlight.
Sissako’s five films will be screened this year at IFFK. Life on Earth (1999), Waiting for Happiness (2002), Bamako (2006), Timbuktu (2014), and Black Tea (2004) are the movies to be screened at the festival.
The IFFK’s lifetime achievement award, introduced in 2009, is presented to a filmmaker who made significant contributions to the art of cinema during their career.
Earlier recipients of the award include Jean-Luc-Godard, Werner Herzog, Fernando Solanas, Alexander Sokurov, Jiri Menzel, Majid Majidi and Bela Tarr.
