India got out of jail today and for all those of us who thought we had finished drinking from the cup of sorrows, well, the hangover continues. India were ordinary, only rescued towards the end by a combination of grit and vitality, normally resident in one person but happily spread out over two fine cricketers today.

One of the reasons a lot of us have been optimistic about Dhoni (optimistic, not wildly adoring!) is that he seems to have a sensible head on his shoulders. He can be swashbuckling but, on days like these, when his dancing feet were immobilised, he can play the responsible, calculated innings. He looks good at number three because he doesn’t waste time, can hit on the rise against the quicker bowlers and if the spinners come on in the power plays he can go over the top. But in conditions like these, it might be asking too much of him, especially if India have to bat second.

I particularly liked his willingness to play second fiddle to the fitter man. Once Dinesh Kaarthick had got his eye in, and his bat in the same plane as the ball, he took charge and Dhoni let him, content to knock the singles, aware that this was what he was really capable of with his bothersome hamstring. It helped that the Bangladesh spinners bowled poorly at him. They were flat and one-dimensional and he could play them from his crease without having to stretch. A quality spinner would have tossed one invitingly at him, only to fall a foot short, and then push him onto the back foot as Anil Kumble did so beautifully against Salim Mailk at Delhi when he got all 10.

... contd.