Dhoni pays the penalty

In Rajkot,after the openers had started the Indian innings in fifth gear,MS Dhoni promoted himself to No. 3....

In Rajkot,after the openers had started the Indian innings in fifth gear,MS Dhoni promoted himself to No. 3. He not only maintained the momentum but pushed harder on the accelerator with a 53-ball 72. Then,by the time he came out to bat at No.5 in Nagpur,India were in a shaky position and on this occasion,and he anchored the innings with a solid century.

While Sri Lanka landed in Cuttack on Saturday for the third ODI with renewed vigour after leveling the series in the last game,India lost not only a bit of confidence,but also their inspirational skipper who has been handed a two-match ban for a slow over-rate.

In his frenetic international career so far,Dhoni has experienced more highs than most cricketers do in their entire careers. He won a world-level international event on his first assignment; averages 50.89 in ODI cricket; and India have never lost a Test under his captaincy.

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But on Friday night,Dhoni experienced another first when match-referee Jeff Crowe suspended them as per the ICC rules because,by the time Angelo Mathews scored the winning runs,the scheduled cut-off time had already been extended by a distance.

I was a very busy man last night .The discussions went onto till 3 am as I had to give everyone a fair chance to make their points, Crowe told The Indian Express,adding that Gautam Gambhir had also been called for a hearing for showing dissent following his run-out.

In the end India were minus-3 on their over-rate,following which the captain was docked two disciplinary points,which meant an immediate ban for two ODIs (Cuttack and Kolkata), Crowe added. The former New Zealand skipper added that the Sri Lankans were also under the scanner with their over-rate but managed to remain under the limit. A repeat of the offense within 12 months could lead to Dhoni being banned for a further two to 10 ODIs,or one to four Tests.

Sehwags turn

The queries on whether Virender Sehwag,who has lost three out of five ODIs as captain so far,can don the mantle with the same effect as Dhoni,and whether Dinesh Karthik can utilize his umpteenth opportunity in the middle-order will be answered in the coming week.

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But on a positive note,the two-match ban could also end up being a much-needed break for the Indian skipper,who last missed an ODI in 2007 with illness. By the time he reached his sixth ODI ton on Friday,Dhoni seemed to have consumed all his energy reserves,celebrating his second consecutive century at the VCA stadium by grimacing and falling to the ground,holding his side.

The sight of an exhausted Dhoni trudging off the field after his dismissal in the last over was not an optimistic one. But the Indian skipper did return and also kept wickets for the tense Sri Lankan chase without breaking down.

While he takes a one-week hiatus from the game,the Sehwag-led India will look to ensure they provide him with an opportunity to extend his break by winning the series before the final game in Delhi.

Meanwhile,Alan Hurst will take over from Jeff Crowe for the remaining three ODIs of the series.