MS Dhoni off, Virat Kohli with gloves on, India strike

Mumbai: Is Team India not taking Bangladesh seriously? Mahendra Singh Dhoni leaving the gloves in the middle of an innings is not new, he has taken up the ball (whenever needed) in Test matches as well as in ICC Champions Trophy (2013) and for Chennai Super Kings. But on Thursday, during the match against Bangladesh, when fans thought he would swing the ball, he left the field. Virat Kohli turned wicketkeeper.

As soon as Dhoni left the pitch and Kohli took over the reins, India found a breakthrough. Umesh Yadav broke the 38-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Shakib Al Hasan (52) and the destructive Nasir Hossain (34).

Did Shakib get distracted? He gave away an easy catch to Ravindra Jadeja.

Kohli was not even wearing his pads and the situation seemed casual for the Indian cricketers.

This is not a new sight for the Men in Blue as the duo have exchanged roles in the past too. In a Test against South Africa, Dhoni took to bowling and Kohli kept wickets. But today, Captain Cool was not even around.

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Nonetheless, Hossain who scored 26 runs off 19 balls in the partnership could not find his rhythm back and was dismissed soon.

Kohli will remember this match for his all-round efforts. The occasional bowler also rolled his arms for a couple of overs in the middle.

The swapping of responsibilities must have entertained the Indian fans but it seemed to be the turning point for Team India. Bangladesh started going downhill after losing Shakib’s wicket.

Though the reason for Dhoni’s absence is still unknown, it looked like a clever move.