Kapil Dev, Srinath throw their weight behind MS Dhoni

India skipper MS Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten during a training session at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore recently.

Legendary captain Kapil Dev and former India pacer Javagal Srinath have thrown their weight behind Mahendra Singh Dhoni whose decision to have Ashish Nehra bowl the last over against South Africa at Nagpur has come under flak.

Nehra conceded 13 runs off the final over as South Africa handed India their first loss in the World Cup on Sunday, sparking widespread criticism of Dhoni's choice of the left-arm seamer instead of Harbhajan Singh.

Srinath said Nehra was the logical choice. "Ashish (Nehra) is a very good bowler, and as Dhoni has rightly pointed out, he has been our best bowler in the powerplay periods (in the last two years). It was the right decision (to bowl Nehra in the last over). I totally endorse it. It's a big gamble to bowl a spinner in the last over, Dhoni didn't have a choice," the former right-arm fast bowler told MiD DAY.

Kapil said he had faith in Dhoni's leadership qualities and trusted him to steer the team out of trouble. "I strongly believe in Dhoni. He's a clever captain and will come up with some sort of a plan," the 1983 World Cup-winning skipper told MiD DAY.

Kapil refused to criticise the bowlers and said the bowling coach, Eric Simmons, had a role to play in this situation.

"What can be done now? These are the bowlers we have and we need to back them. The onus is on the bowling coach, he has to right the wrongs, iron out the flaws," the 52-year-old said. Both Kapil and Srinath cautioned against knee-jerk reactions. "Whatever bowling attack has been (selected for) the World Cup has been (selected) after a lot of planning. It would be wrong to question the skipper and selectors. They must have some formula in mind, and I totally support Dhoni and his arsenal," Kapil said.

Srinath backed Nehra. "I have played lot of cricket with Ashish, he is a rhythm bowler. One can never decide the fate of a bowler after just one over," he said.

"The problem is that there is so much (expectation) among Indian fans about winning the World Cup, they forget the uncertainties of the game. We need to be more realistic, and appreciate the contest. The India-South Africa game was a classic."

India are likely to go back to the two-pacer-two-spinner combination for their next game against the West Indies here on March 20. The venue witnessed a low-scoring tie between South Africa and England earlier this month when Graeme Swann and Robin Peterson turned the ball prodigiously.

In that case, either Nehra or Munaf Patel would have to make way for the second specialist spinner.

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http://www.mid-day.com/sports/2011/mar/150311-Kapil-Dev-Javagal-Srinath-Dhoni.htm