Sports
Criticism continues but BCCI defends Indian team
Mumbai, March 27
A day after India bowed out of
the 2015 cricket World Cup losing the semi-finals, criticism continued
to flow in even as BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya defended the team's
performance by saying the defending champions "played some outstanding
cricket" Down Under before failing against Australia.
In its
quest to retain the Cup title, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-captained side
remained undefeated in the group stage and then overwhelmed Bangladesh
in the quarter-finals.
But their run was halted by the co-hosts
and four-time champions Australia in the last-four stage with a 95-run
win on Thursday in Sydney.
Former skipper Sunil Gavaskar said the team failed to overcome the pressure of expectations in the crunch game.
"India
succumbed under the pressure. They lost in all departments, especially
in batting as they failed to build one strong partnership throughout the
innings. The batsmen played irresponsibly and got out to some sloppy
shots," said Gavaskar after India's loss.
Vice-captain Virat
Kohli's untimely dismissal -- a mistimed pull shot off pacer Mitchell
Johnson -- was also a big blow to India's chances of chasing down the
big score as Australia kept chipping away with wickets.
"What
disappointed me the most was their poor shot selection. Virat needs to
improvise on his pull shots. The pressure of chasing 329 runs clearly
showed on the Indian batsmen as they failed to set themselves at the
crease and got out to poor shots in order to accelerate the scoring,"
added Gavaskar.
Former fast bowler Javagal Srinath said that
although the Indian pacers bowled brilliantly during the entire
tournament, they didn't use the short ball judiciously against
Australia.
Co-hosts Australia beat India to make their seventh appearance in the final where they will meet New Zealand on Sunday.
"They
have been largely impressive in this World Cup. Unlike their Australian
counterparts, they didn't use the short-ball judiciously," Srinath
wrote in a column for International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday.
The
39-year-old said India's openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan
started off well but none of the top-order batsmen could post the need
of the hour -- a big hundred.
"India's openers responded
brilliantly, they set a solid platform and blunted the new ball. But,
unfortunately, none of the top-order batsmen could post a big hundred,"
he said.
However, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
president Dalmiya said the team has brought a lot of joy to millions of
fans. He said the team "displayed some admirable skills".
"I
congratulate the entire Indian cricket team for having played some
outstanding cricket in the World Cup 2015. They have indeed displayed
some admirable skills while playing the game in its true spirit, and
thereby, bringing joy to millions of cricket fans," Dalmiya said in a
release.
"In spite of the disappointment due to the loss in the
semi-final, the fact that the impending generation has showed the
desired potential to take Indian cricket to greater heights is quite
gratifying."
BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur took the opportunity to thank the Indian fans for supporting the team.
"Being
present at the venue and having witnessed the match, I was privy to the
excitement and joy that our Indian team brings to the spectators," he
said.
"I take this opportunity to thank all our fans across the
world and especially those who were present for the semi-final and
supported Team India," Anurag added.
The secretary also
congratulated the members of the team for "their outstanding performance
while upholding the values which have long embodied the game of
cricket".