Mighty India face a tricky test in their upcoming Cricket World Cup clash against West Indies, and coach Bharat Arun feels that MS Dhoni and the middle order's poor performance against Afghanistan is not a matter of concern. The match is scheduled for June 27, at Old Trafford.
As India's middle order is being immensely criticised due to sluggish performance against Afghanistan, bowling coach Bharat Arun said that it is not a matter of concern as they batted according to the situation. The Men in Blue face West Indies in their upcoming Cricket World Cup fixture on June 27, at Old Trafford.
"Not really, according to the situation and the condition of the wicket, we were able to successfully defend the total that we had put up and had we probably lost a wicket at that stage then things would have turned out differently. So, I do not think that is too much of a concern for us right now," Arun said during a pre-match press conference.
Dhoni was the one who was criticised for his slow inning as he scored 28 runs off 52. Although India posted a modest total of 224 runs, they managed to win the match as they restricted Afghanistan on just 213 runs.
Credit for India's victory goes to Mohammed Shami, who replaced Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the match, as he took a hat-trick in the last over of the match.
However, after Kumar will recover from his hamstring injury, it might create a dilemma for the team in choosing their pacers for the upcoming matches.
Arun said that they would take a call as per the conditions.
"Bhuvneshwar's injury is not a matter of great concern, it is just a niggle which we did not want to take a chance and it was also an opportunity for us to bring Shami into the games. We would take a call as per the conditions. Both have done exceptionally well. So, I think it is a pretty good headache to have," he said.
Arun also praised India's upcoming opponents West Indies as he said that they are an outstanding side but further added that their plans are in place and they are up for the challenge.
"They are an outstanding side, they have played really positive cricket. We are aware of the challenges that exist in the game. Our plans are pretty much in place and we are up for the challenge," Arun said.