Sport

Promoting Dhoni was a good move

Mohinder Amarnath

BIG TEST: Javed Omar Belim and captain Habibul Bashar seem to ponder over their crucial encounter, which they will have to win to keep the series alive. — PHOTO: AP

As far as I can see, the fact that Bangladesh beat India in the World Cup is the only reason why we are attaching any importance to the current series. All the euphoria following Thursday's hard-fought victory makes me think, however, that we are probably reading too much into a series that is, after all, being played against a weaker team.

The win in the first ODI, therefore, should not be seen as an indication that the Indian team is back in form or that all the problems on view during the World Cup have vanished overnight.

I have no desire to sound negative or take anything away from the partnership that Mahendra Singh Dhoni put together with Dinesh Karthik, but we must have a sense of perspective here.

The fact is that India did not have to face a quality bowling attack at Mirpur on Thursday. Bangladesh still relies primarily on spinners who will come good only under helpful conditions, and I think the only positive that India can take from the first match is the amazing maturity that Dhoni showed in conditions that were, as I had mentioned in my first article, less than ideal for cricket.

Dhoni overcame the extreme heat and humidity as well as the pressure of having to extricate the team from a fairly precarious situation, which is something that he is familiar with. I thought it was a good move by the team management to make Dhoni part of the top order, because it gave him time to pace his innings in the gruelling heat.

Able support

And of course, Karthik provided able support to make sure India didn't suffer any tense moments in the final overs.

I have read a few reports that suggest that the presence of Mashrafe Mortaza would have made life tougher for India, and I disagree. On current form, he is much like any other bowler — there is nothing really extraordinary about him. Yet, like his team, he has the potential to excel. Facing Mortaza on the slow Mirpur pitch would not really have tested India's weakness against pace and bounce.

The first real test of that this season will come during the tour of England later this year.

Having been attached to Bangladesh in a coaching capacity, I can say that they have the makings of a very good one-day side. Whether they have the stomach for the five-day game remains to be seen, but I would think they need plenty of time before they can even come close to consistently beating the big sides.

They need to regularly play the major teams rather than compete mostly against sides like Zimbabwe and Kenya. Cricket is not new to the country — Dhaka was a cricketing venue even when Bangladesh was part of Pakistan — but it has mostly been limited to first-class matches thus far. International exposure remains limited, and as a Test-playing nation, Bangladesh needs to expand its horizons.

Saturday's match should tell us whether the hosts have the resilience to overcome a disappointing loss. My guess is that we will probably see another closely fought encounter because the sapping conditions are virtually levelling the playing field.

In a three-match series, it is pretty hard to turn things around when a team is 1-0 down, but that is what the big league is all about.

(Gameplan)

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