MS Dhoni Banned for Two ODIs

Nagpur: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been banned by International Cricket Council match referee Jeff Crowe for maintaining a slow over-rate during the second ODI against Sri Lanka in Nagpur.

Diminutive left-handed batsman Gautam Gambhir will reportedly be the stand-in captain for the next two ODIs to be played in Cuttack on Monday and Kolkata on Thursday, as the ban is likely to be effective immediately, which means Dhoni will be back only for the final ODI in Delhi on Sunday.

The second ODI, which India lost by 3 wickets, ended about 45 minutes after the scheduled finish time because of frequent discussions between the Indian players during the final stages of the Sri Lankan run chase.

Sri Lanka levelled the five-match series 1-1 with the victory.

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