Dhoni slams `bowler-friendly` Asia Cup pitches

Mirpur : Limited-overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has criticised the bowler-friendly pitches seen so far in the ongoing Asia Cup T20, arguing that such tracks are not helping his batsmen’s preparations for next month’s World Twenty20 in India.

The continental tournament has so far witnessed pitches conducive for bowlers, with the last match between India and Pakistan being a low-scorer as well.

“We thought it will be a very good practice before getting into the T20 World Cup. When it comes to the hitting, maybe not,” Dhoni said after leading India to a five-wicket win over Pakistan in Mirpur.

“The reason why people love T20 is for the sixes and fours,” Dhoni said. “You do not want 80s or 100s to be scored. Low-scoring should be a 135 or 130.”

The 34-year-old admitted that his batsmen had been struggling to play big shots in such bowler-conducive pitches, insisting that low-scoring games are not good advertisement for the fast-paced format.

“One game we scored (166) but you know it seemed like a game where we will score 140. Because of the firepower and a few good overs, we were able to score (166) but other than that, all the other games played have been low-scoring games which is not very good,” added Dhoni.

India will next play Sri Lanka on Tuesday before they take on the United Arab Emirates on March 3. (ANI)