Having lost the series 2-0 to South Africa, India captain MS Dhoni wanted to experiment with the lineup in the third T20 at the Eden Gardens. But the match was washed out without a ball being bowled and that disappointed the Indian skipper.
Dhoni also said that he wanted to make three changes in the lineup. Ajinkya Rahane, who did not get a chance to play in the first two matches, would have opened the batting with Rohit Sharma. That would have meant the exclusion of Shikhar Dhawan. Also he wanted to add Amit Mishra and Stuart Binny to the lineup as well. But none of the above happened as the match was abandoned.
"We wanted to make changes in the side. In fact we were supposed to make three changes, change a bit the batting order and try out different stuff. But it is sad that we did not get to play," MS Dhoni told the reporters on Thursday.
Dhoni was also unhappy as they could not play in front of the capacity crowd at the iconic Eden Gardens. It rained in the afternoon on Thursday, but the super soppers failed to drain out the water from the lush green outfields of the ground.
"This is one venue where you want come in and play you don't want to come here and not play matches, the history of the ground and also the public here is fantastic. It is sad and bit disappointing not to play over here," Dhoni added.
Many started blaming the groundsmen after they failed to dry the outfield on Thursday. Team India interim director Ravi Shastri and former India captain Sourav Ganguly backed Dhoni and stated that groundsmen should not be blamed solely.
"To have an abandonment here is the most disappointing because of the crowd. These are circumstances not in your control. It depends on the umpires, they know that there is a long series coming up," Shastri told the reporters.
Ganguly was constantly seen at the ground, giving instructions to the groundsmen on Thursday evening so that the match could get underway as quickly as possible. But unfortunately the umpires decided to call off the match due to the wet outfield.
"When we are hosting an international match, everyone gets involved, and it becomes a collective responsibility. So, why blame the groundsmen?" Ganguly said.
