India's biggest World Cup worry might be MS Dhoni's batting form

February 11, 2015

New Delhi, Feb 11: We know India's bowling is weak, we know Virat Kohli is a class act, we know Rohit Sharma can be dangerous on his day, we know that Ajinkya Rahane is developing into a superb bat but we have no real idea of what's going wrong with Mahendra Singh Dhoni - and he isn't going to be telling anyone anytime soon.

MS Dhoni

The Indian skipper is short of runs and going into the two big games against Pakistan (Feb 15) and South Africa (Feb. 22), that should worry the team management no end.

Against Australia in the first warm-up game, he received a good bouncer first up and went for the hook shot. In the deep, Mitchell Starc pulled off an incredible one-handed catch on the boundary line. Dhoni was a little stunned but he was gone for a duck.

In the second warm-up against Afghanistan, he once again seemed out of sorts. He needed to spend time in the middle and just bat without worrying about the run-rate or the result. But he played a strange little innings -- his timing was off and if truth be said, he seemed rather uninterested. He ended up scoring 10 off 20 balls, hit no fours or sixes and didn't even look a shade of the finisher the world has come to fear over the last decade.

There were no signs that India asked Rohit Sharma, who made 150 off 122 balls, to retire so that the other batsmen, including Dhoni, could have had a longer stint in the middle. It a slightly odd gameplan - given that the matches in the group stage play a huge role in deciding the quarterfinal opponent. If you finish first, there is a chance of running into Zimbabwe or Bangladesh and that would be preferable to running into Australia, England or New Zealand.

If it was just two matches, one would not worry about Dhoni's form or his mental state. But his drought has been longer and not even once has he been in the situation where he can say that he is striking the ball well but has just been unlucky.

In the second Test against Australia, Dhoni - coming back fron injury - made 33 and 0. He played sensibly in the first innings to reach 33 off 53 balls but never quite looked settled. In the second innings, he came down the wicket to the paceman but was still adjudged leg before by the umpire (a correct decision).

In the third Test, he was gone for 11 in the first innings and scored a balanced 24 not out in the second innings to help India draw the match.

Before the fourth Test came around, he had announced his retirement from Test cricket. It meant more time on the sidelines; more time without any competitive cricket; more time without a chance to really fine tune his game to the different challenges that Australian wickets provide to his technique.

The poor form of the Tests carried over into the ODIs too. In three ODIs (the fourth was a washout), Dhoni's highest score was 34. Since October 2014, he has only two scores over fifty and one has to wonder whether the breaks and the injuries have him feeling a little rusty.

The trekking trip might have been a good break but all Dhoni needs to do at this point is practice and get back his feel. He is 33 now and things take that little bit longer to come back than they used to. While fitness is essential, batting in the nets might just help him get back to speed quickly and he need to acknowledge that right now

If it is just rust then India are still okay but if his technique and form are unable to cope with Australia then India are in serious trouble. In the shorter format -- much more than the Tests -- India count on Dhoni to apply the finishing touches to the innings while batting first and to calmly chase down totals when batting second. If he is out of form, it leaves a huge gap in India's plans.

India's bowling isn't something Dhoni can rely on -- so India's hopes of defending the World Cup depend almost entirely on it's batting and on every batsmen playing to his potential. In that scenario, Dhoni's average of 52.29, his strike-rate of 88.84 and his ability to raise his games when the team needs him most is unparalleded. He cannot afford to cruise.

The opponents fear him but right now, India needs him to just turn on the switch and wake up. He usually likes to leave it late but it's time the real Dhoni makes his presence felt yet again and gives the fans some much-needed breathing space.

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News Network
February 13,2020

Feb 13: Veteran India batsman Suresh Raina feels Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the best captain India ever had.

Raina and Dhoni play for the same IPL franchise -- the Chennai Super Kings --, which is also led by the latter.

"I think we have the best captain who has changed the Indian team like anything. Now we have that same aura in our dressing room," Raina said on 'The Super Kings show' on Star Sports Tamil.

The 38-year-old Dhoni has retired from Test cricket but his future in the limited overs formats is a subject of intense speculation.

The two-time World Cup-winning former captain took a break from cricket after India's exit from the 2019 World Cup in England. He is set to be back in action at the IPL, where he will captain the CSK, starting March 23.

With three restricted stands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai finally being reopened, Raina urged the fans to fill the venue in every CSK home game.

"We have all the seats available. Hopefully, we'll have more fans now so that there is it will be more energy on the field," the 33-year-old Raina, a former India batsman, said.

Raina, who last played for India in 2018, also expressed his excitement about the prospect of playing with CSK's latest acquisitions.

"This year we have a lot of new talent in our team. Piyush (Chawla) is there, then we have Hazelwood, Sam Curran, Sai Kishore from Tamil Nadu, he has been bowling really well for them. So, I think we have a lot of mixture of youngsters and seniors."

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Agencies
June 8,2020

New Delhi, Jun 8: Indian pacer S Sreesanth has slammed England all-rounder Ben Stokes for questioning MS Dhoni's intent during a World Cup match, saying that the former captain will end Stokes' career.

Stokes in his book titled 'On Fire' had questioned Dhoni's intent during India's 31-run defeat at the hands of England in the premier tournament last year.

"For Ben Stokes, I will only say that you should pray that Dhoni does not play against you in the future. Dhoni does not forget things easily," Sreesanth said during a Live session on Helo.

"I wish Stokes all the best for whenever he faces Dhoni again, be it IPL or an England vs India match. You must be earning in millions now, Dhoni Bhai will end your career. Dhoni will strike the ball everywhere and he (Stokes) can never dismiss Dhoni. Before he (Stokes) opens his mouth, he should make sure to wear a helmet," he added.

Former West Indies pacer Michael Holding had also come out in support of Dhoni and said that the wicket-keeper batsman wanted to win the match against England.

"Well, people will write anything in books these days, because people are a lot more free with their opinions and when they are writing books, they need to be making headlines at times," Holding had said on his official YouTube channel.

"...It was not the game that India had to win, but I don't think anyone can say that was a team tactic to lose the game. I watched that game and it appeared to me as if India weren't putting up their 100 percent, but I realised it was not the case when the expression on MS Dhoni's face told me that he desperately wanted to win, so I do not think it was a team decision to not try to win," he had added.

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Agencies
January 14,2020

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