MS Dhoni overwhelmed by team’s success in the ICC Champions Trophy opener – Cricket News Indian skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is overwhelmed by his side’s outstanding performance in the first match of the ICC Champions Trophy where India beat South Africa by 26 runs. The World champions scored a massive 331 at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff (neutral venue). Praising openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, the Indian captain said, “Rohit batted well along with Shikhar, gave us a good platform. You talk about giving guys consistent chances, last ODI Rohit played, he did as an opener, selectors also backed us up, they said let him play all three games as an opener, it worked for us.” However, the right-handed batsman admitted that his side was a few runs short because of losing quick wickets in the middle after a fantastic start to the innings. “We lost too many wickets during the middle, we were short by at least 25 runs. Before you play the pull, best option is to take a single, if that is not working, go after the bowler. Boys played with plenty of aggression, but it was controlled,” said the Indian skipper. India on Thursday gave their fans a spectacular match against South Africa where, after being asked to bat first, the side outplayed their opponents right from the start with openers Sharma and Dhawan spearheading a dominant opening stand as they hammered 127 runs together. South Africa drew first blood on the wicket of Sharma, who faltered after hitting 65 runs. While Virat Kohli gave a decent performance, Dhawan was extremely destructive as he demolished the South African bowling attack by countering the bowlers with confidence. The batsman played a very important knock of 114 runs which not only got him the Player of the Match award but also helped his side put a nerve-wracking score on the board. South Africa needed a solid start, but lost two early wickets by the time they had reached 31 runs. The partnership between Robin Peterson and AB de Villiers was impressive; however, it folded on 155 with the departure of Peterson for 68. In the end South Africa fell with 305 runs on the board. The South Africans will now play their second match of the tournament against Pakistan on Jun 10, and India will face West Indies on Jun 11.
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