India left with unanswered questions after Sydney wash-out
Another failure for Dhawan has added to India's woes....
India may have come out the happier
of the two sides after the fifth one-
dayer of the Carlton Mid tri-series in
Sydney was rained out but during the
16 overs on Monday, the glaring
questions that hovered over their
top-order turned into massive
headaches.
With the bowlers showing that they
could be a big problem, India already
had their plates full ahead of the ICC
Cricket World Cup. Two of the four
batsmen who were lucky or unlucky
to bat in the penultimate league
game only added to the problems
today, leaving MS Dhoni and Co. with big decisions to make.
Shikhar Dhawan has contributed little
next to nothing in three ODIs while
Ambati Rayudu seems all at sea
about his role in the side. Both failed
in testing conditions on Monday,
adding more substance to questions
about their spots.
Having invited India to bat on a
morning marred by rain, Australia
bowled 16 overs before bad weather
forced the umpires to call the game
off. The teams were robbed off
match practice but split points meant
India kept alive their chances of
progressing to the next stage and
playing Australia in the final. Their
game against England on January 30
will now be a virtual semifinal.
Just over an hour's play was possible
in Sydney, but it was enough to
compound the defending World Cup
champions' woes.
Shikhar Dhawan understandably took
a cautious approach and picked runs
when the bowlers erred in line.
However, his vigil lasted only 13
deliveries. Dhawan is now becoming
concomitant with edging behind the
stumps. The left-hander, once again,
flirted with a delivery outside off-
stump and edged it to first slip.
Scores of 2, 1 and 8 are not what
India would have hoped for from a
batsman who is expected to replicate Virender Sehwags blazing approach.
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