Batting great Sunil Gavaskar today joined the list of former players who believe India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni should bat higher in the order.
Echoing the opinions of former India captain Sourav Ganguly and retired Australian stumper Adam Gilchrist, Gavaskar said, “Those who are good players should always get most of the overs, especially during a run chase when the required rate is above five runs an over. The team management has to think over it.
“This is the reason why Sachin Tendulkar was promoted as an opener so that he gets all the 50 overs to play,” Gavaskar told reporters.
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On the criticism of Harbhajan Singh, who disappointed with the ball in the first ODI against Australia, the legendary opener said the offspinner would bounce back.
“He is not the only bowler to get hit. He is a class bowler and will bounce back,” Gavaskar said.
On India’s poor fielding, Gavaskar blamed the outfield at the Indian grounds and the junior level coaches for it.
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“The outfields in India are so tough that they do not encourage diving and sliding. Besides, it is the responsibility of the junior level coaches to teach the cricketers this aspect of the game. It is difficult for them to learn these things once they grow up,” he said.
Asked to predict a winner in the ongoing seven-match ODI series, Gavaskar said, “The sort of fight India gave in the first match, I hope they will win the series.”