Basit Ali criticizes MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli post India’s loss to England in 2019 Cricket World Cup

Basit Ali criticizes MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli: Former Pakistani cricketer lashed out at Indian batsmen’s approach vs England.

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali admitted enjoying India batsman Rishabh Pant’s batting during his first 2019 Cricket World Cup match against England yesterday. Speaking on a local TV channel in Pakistan, Basit Ali believed Pakistani senior players should learn from Pant.

“No doubt England’s score was a strong base for their fielding. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli played very well. But the player whose game I enjoyed the most was Rishabh Pant. He made only a few runs, but he played his first World Cup match. Our senior Pakistani players should learn from Pant,” Basit was quoted as saying.

Two years ago, Dhoni batted 100 consecutive balls without a boundary in an ODI inns in Antigua. Last year, he let India bat 50 overs at Lord’s without hitting a six.

He’s been playing such baffling inns for years now. Nothing new. He is simply not the force he once was. #EngvInd

— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) July 1, 2019

Basit Ali criticizes MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli

Apart from praising Pant, Basit found faults with several other Indian players and their approach in a 31-run loss at Edgbaston. Basit went on to say that the Indian players were on a picnic on the field but lacked intent especially in the second innings.

“If you are chasing 337 runs and in the first 10 overs you only make 28 runs in which two fielders are in the outer circle, then according to me India played those 10 overs really bad.

“They had a picnic on the field. The batsmen were just making sure they were in good form. Rohit Sharma scored a century at his own time so did Virat Kohli score his 66 so leisurely. It was just Pandya who was hitting and scored 45 off 33 balls,” Basit said.

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Talking specifically about India captain Virat Kohli and wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Basit highlighted how Kohli didn’t even talk once to his bowlers when they were leaking runs. Furthermore, Basit lashed out at Dhoni for his slow approach with the bat in hand.

“Did not see Kohli even once talk to the bowlers. In cricket, if your bowlers are giving away too many runs, then its the responsibility of the captain to go and talk to them.

“Even during India’s batting, Dhoni in the last 10 overs did not even try to hit the ball. When Hardik Pandya got out, Dhoni did not even run to cross and take the strike and made a new batsman face the bowler,” Basit added.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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