MIRPUR, Bangladesh: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni sprang to team mate Yuvraj Singh's defense after the left-hander's struggle with the bat in the World Twenty20 final loss to Sri Lanka.
Struggling to hit or rotate strike, Yuvraj looked a shadow of the player who was the architect of India's 20-over World Cup victory in 2007 and the 50 overs World Cup in 2011.
The lefthander, who hit England's Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over in the 2007 World Twenty20, used up 21 deliveries towards the end to score 11 runs, failing even to rotate strike and allow the set batsman and player-of-the-tournament Virat Kohli (77) to launch a late assault.
India managed 19 runs in the last four overs despite having eight wickets in hand and Kohli faced just eight balls in the last four overs before running himself out as India settled for a below-par 130 for four.
Dhoni conceded the last four overs probably cost India the trophy which would have completed a record limited overs treble for the 50-over World Cup and Champions Trophy holders.
"The last four is the place where you really want to score as many runs as you can. That was an area we could not capitalize (on)," Dhoni said.
He refused, however, to blame Yuvraj who, barring a half-century against Australia, had a poor tournament.
"He was trying, the thing is he was trying and that's the most you can do.
"It happens to all, not just cricketers. Yuvi tried his best, it was an off day for him. It's not easy for a batsman to go out and straight away start slogging."
Asked why he did not promote himself ahead of Yuvraj, Dhoni said: "We wanted a left-right combination to make it slightly difficult for the bowlers to execute their plans. That was the reason why we had Yuvi at number four."
The India captain preferred to credit the Sri Lankan bowlers for restricting his team.
"We have to give credit to the Sri Lankan bowlers. They were looking for wide yorkers and all were perfect wide yorkers.
"Other than one wide delivery, they were right on the mark which made it difficult for us to score freely."
India cricket captain Dhoni: Yuvraj tried his best
India cricket captain Dhoni: Yuvraj tried his best
Norway’s Carlsen wins first FIDE Freestyle World Chess Championship
Norway’s Magnus Carlsen added another crown to his collection on Sunday by becoming the first official FIDE Freestyle Chess world champion after a comeback win over Fabiano Caruana in Germany.
The chess master secured the title with a cautious draw in the fourth and final game, clinching a 2.5–1.5 match victory against his 33-year-old American opponent in Weissenhaus.
Sunday’s turning point came in the thrilling third game, in which Carlsen, 35, pulled off a stunning win from a seemingly lost position, swinging the entire contest in his favor.
The world number one only needed a draw in the decisive fourth game, and that’s exactly what he got in an equal endgame, with Caruana missing late opportunities to mount a comeback.
Carlsen has now won 21 world titles in various formats.
The World Championship marked a breakthrough collaboration between FIDE and private organizer Freestyle Chess, staging the first officially recognized title in this format.
Carlsen had previously failed to capture the FIDE Fischer Random World Championship, making this victory particularly sweet for the chess great.
In the bronze medal match, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat Germany’s Vincent Keymer, securing his spot by drawing from a winning position in the final game.
Both finalists and Abdusattorov have qualified for next year’s championship.
The tournament’s lower placings saw Hans Niemann of the United States take fifth with a 2-0 victory over India’s Arjun Erigaisi, while Armenia’s Levon Aronian won his Armageddon game against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov for seventh place.
In the women’s exhibition match, Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva prevailed over Switzerland’s Alexandra Kosteniuk after their final encounter ended in a draw.
