MS Dhoni suspended to complete miserable day for India

The India captain will watch the fourth Test from the sidelines after being punished for his side's slow bowling.

Indian captain MS Dhoni loses his wicket to Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle and Australia won the third cricket Test match by an innings and 37 runs in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series at the WACA ground in Perth on January 15 2012. IMAGE STRICTLY RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE-STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE AFP PHOTO/Tony ASHBY
Powered by automated translation

MS Dhoni's disastrous tour of Australia was completed today when he was suspended by the International Cricket Council from playing in the fourth Test for India against Australia because of slow bowling.

The ban completed a miserable day for the Indian captain, who was dismissed for two runs as India crumbled to an innings and 37-run defeat in Perth to go 3-0 down in the four-match series.

"The India team has been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during the third test against Australia in Perth ... and as this is the second offence within 12 months India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been suspended for the next test match in line with the ICC Code of Conduct," an ICC statement announced following the completion of the action in Perth.

India were two overs shy of the minimum rate required, the statement added. The first offence was committed in the second Test against the West Indies in Barbados in July.

Virender Sehwag, the vice captain, is likely to step up to replace Dhoni as skipper in Adelaide, where the fourth Test takes place next week, with Wriddhiman Saha likely to stand in as wicketkeeper.

Dhoni was fined 40 per cent of his match fee, and the rest of the Indian team 20 per cent for slow bowling.

Dhoni had acknowledged in his post-match interview, which had come before he was punished by the ICC, that his side's batting had been their biggest weakness again.

Inida were dismissed for 161 and 171 in their two innings and have struggled with the bat on the tour, as they did last summer in England.

"Once the number of matches increase where you haven't scored as a batting unit, the pressure keeps mounting," Dhoni said.

"If you see last couple of series, they haven't done well but it's to their averages and amount of runs they have scored that they have not done well.

"At the same time they must be feeling the pressure but it is very common to them, throughout their career they have faced that kind of pressure."