Dhoni shows he’s not done yet

Gaurav Kanthwal 

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, December 11

Every time the whispers over MS Dhoni’s place in the Indian XI tend to get louder, the battle-scarred veteran muffles them with a convincing performance. Yesterday, he produced yet another fine innings here to quieten the doubting Thomases, at least for the immediate future.

Nevertheless, it’s no secret that Dhoni’s charisma is on the wane and he no longer wins matches for India the way he used to. Understandably, his role as a finisher has been questioned and opinion is divided over whether he commands a place in the team. Yet, just like he did yesterday, he keeps reminding everyone that perhaps no one understands how to master the conditions better than him.

With minimal technique but loads of experience acquired over the years, Dhoni employed the most tried and tested formula yesterday to negate the movement off the wicket. He stood well outside the crease and used his feet to play the ball early and deny the bowlers the advantage they had been extracting from the pitch. Most of the batsmen go down the wicket against a fast bowler looking for a boundary or a six, but Dhoni stepped out just to ensure that the ball didn’t deviate too much after pitching. This also helped him keep the scoreboard ticking. It was his ability to master the conditions and match awareness that lifted India from 29/7 to 112 all out.

“He’s (Dhoni) done it for so many years and he knows what exactly needs to be done in such conditions. Someone with him could have made the difference. I am not at all surprised by the way he played. He was the only one battling it out,” said captain Rohit Sharma after the loss. 

Dhoni also showed how to bat with the tailenders as he anchored India past the 100-run mark. The 36-year old shielded them, helped them survive on a tricky track. India’s debacle also brought into focus Dhoni’s place in the batting order. VVS Laxman, while analysing Dhoni’s knock on a TV channel, said he should bat up the order as the Indian middle order is still not at ease. In the XI yesterday, at least three batsmen trying to establish themselves – Dinesh Karthik, Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey. 

However, fellow commentator and former Sri Lankan all-rounder Russell Arnold felt that Dhoni still has it in him to give a thrust to the innings towards the end. For the record, in the last one year, Dhoni has remained unbeaten nine out of the 16 times (56.25 per cent) he has batted in the ODIs. In T20Is, this figure is four out of nine times (44.44 per cent). 

With a cloud cover likely in Mohali on Wednesday and the fast bowlers likely to get some help from the conditions, Dhoni should have a key role to play in the second ODI too.