MS Dhoni stunned the entire world when he stepped out for the toss against Afghanistan in place of Rohit Sharma on Tuesday. 696 days after he stepped down from the post, it was destiny who gave him the opportunity to wear that robe again for the 200th time. At the same time, Afghanistan made sure they would make this match memorable anyway and they did it for sure, that too, in style.
They restricted India from chasing down a 254-run target and successfully tied the game which stretched till the last ball of the match.
MS Dhoni somewhere believed the team missed its top players who were rested for the game. But at the same time, he didn’t forget to mention the wrong decisions taken by the umpires which cost India 2 unnecessary wickets.
“I wouldn't say we went wrong. It was like a game of golf because we started with a handicap, we rested our main players,” said Dhoni.
“It was very important for the fast bowlers to fall back to the back of a length area when there was no swing full. We lost 5-6 overs there. Shot selection is also something we could have done better at as well. And there was a couple of run-out and there are a couple of things I don't want to talk about because I don't want to get fined. A tie isn't bad for is, we could have been on the losing side,” he added.
Dhoni went on to appreciate the efforts put by the Afghani on the field, both with the bat and the ball. He said,
“I think their cricket has gone up a lot. If you see how they've continued playing right from the start of the Cup, it's been commendable. They're the one country that has risen through the ranks. Good batting by them - how they fielded, how they bowled was impressive.”
It was for the first time that Afghanistan were playing an Indian side led by MS Dhoni. After this match, the Afghans will return home but India is scheduled to play the final on Friday.
On the other hand, Pakistan and Bangladesh will fight tonight for the ticket to the finale at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.