Ponting opines Dhoni’s absence one of the main reasons for India's ODI loss

Published on: Mar 18, 2019

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting feels that not having MS Dhoni around in the last couple of games cost India dearly in the ODI series thay Australia came back to win 3-2.

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting feels that not having MS Dhoni around in the last couple of games cost India dearly in the ODI series thay Australia came back to win 3-2.

India took a 2-0 lead in the series but could not maintain the momentum and ended up losing their first home ODi series since October 2015, as the Aussies stunned them.

“I wouldn’t ever be negative towards Virat with regards to his captaincy, I have seen what he has done with the Test team over the last couple of years, and MS has not been around for that," Ponting told NDTV, according to a Hindustan Times report.

"However, I think that the little bit of presence he brings on the field and a certain calmness to the batting when India is in a pressure situation is invaluable. I missed his batting in the last three games (vs Australia), which is also probably why India did not win,” Ponting further added.

Usman Khawaja was the star of the show for Australia, with two hundreds, including one in the final ODI at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.

--By A Cricket Correspondent

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