When the Indian team found themselves trapped in the fishing nets of New Zealand in the Semi-Finals, the big question on everyone’s mind was ‘Where is Dhoni?’. The subject has raised many question marks as to why Dhoni was sent in so late to tackle the situation as it had already gone out of hand.
Teams Head coach Ravi Shastri have come forward to explain the real reason behind the episode. Dhoni had stepped in to bat in the 23rd over at No. 7 when India inched at 77 for 5. Ravi Shastri said that it was the teams decision to send Dhoni at No. 7.
Defending his case, Shastri while speaking to Indian Express said, we didn’t want Dhoni coming out to bat early and then getting out, that would have been a negative aspect for the team. He said, “Dhoni is an experienced player and his expertise was needed at later stage. He is a great finisher and it would have been wrong to make use of him in that way. The whole team agreed on that”.
Although, Ravi Shastri admitted that not having a strong batsman at No. 4 cost India a great deal as it weakened the middle order.