ICC WT20, India vs West Indies: Sourav Ganguly raises question over MS Dhoni’s decision to give Virat Kohli last over

India’s seven-wicket defeat to West Indies in their 2016 ICC World Twenty20 continues to grab headlines with former players and pundits still giving their comments on the key aspects of the match.

On Saturday, former India captain Sourav Ganguly said he wouldn’t have given Virat Kohli the final at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

West Indies needed eight runs from the last over, and Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave the ball to Kohli, who had taken a wicket off his first ball in the 14th over. Windies won the match with two balls to spare with Andre Russell hitting Kohli for a four and six of consecutive deliveries, off the third and fourth balls respectively, after taking a single off the first ball.

Speaking at a Bengal Chamber of Commerce event, Ganguly, who is also the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), said “it is easy to say a lot of things in AC rooms but to do them on the field is difficult.”

“Had I been Dhoni, Kohli wouldn’t have bowled the last over. I would have given him an over right after the one in which he took a wicket,” he was quoted as saying in a report published in Anandabazaar Patrika.

“The two best bowlers of the side should bowl the 19th and 20th overs,” he added.

However, Ganguly was all praise for Dhoni and hailed the current Indian limited overs captain as a great leader and nobody is perfect.

Meanwhile, Dhoni’s tactics to not utilise Ravinchandran Ashwin’s full four overs in the match was questioned by many, including former India opener Virender Sehwag.

The 37-year-old wondered what could have been happened if India’s premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was allowed to complete his quota of four overs.

Ashwin, India’s premier strike bowler, failed to impress in the semi-final. He conceded 20 runs and failed to take a wicket.

“I don’t know why Ashwin bowled only two overs. He could have bowled his four overs as Jadeja (Ravindra) gave away 48 runs and Pandya gave more than 40 runs in his 4 overs,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.

“Ashwin is our main bowler and he is the best in the world and thus, I feel somehow MS Dhoni’s captaincy was not good as seen in this game,” Viru added.

Ashwin bowled only two overs, conceding 20 runs even as his partner Ravindra Jadeja completed his quota of four overs, conceding 48 runs. Both the spinners went wicketless.