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MS Dhoni: What makes him such a successful batsman?

Looking at his technique, one thinks he should not have lasted 90 Tests and scored over 5,000 runs.

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Arguably, he is the most successful Indian captain, especially in limited overs format © Getty Images
Arguably, he is the most successful Indian captain, especially in limited overs format © Getty Images

MS Dhoni, born July 7, 1981, celebrates his 34th birthday on Tuesday. Since Dhoni’s international debut in 2004, he has transformed into a powerful middle-order batsman to bat through the most difficult of situations. Shiamak Unwalla wonders what makes Dhoni such a successful batsman.

Old Trafford, 2014: India 8 for 4. Stuart Broad and James Anderson are snipers, picking off hapless Indian batsmen one by one. Dhoni hates batting at No. 6. He’s good at it, but he doesn’t like it. At 8 for 4, out walks Dhoni. The snipers don’t stop. Dhoni takes a bullet on his shoulder. No reaction. Another on his arm. Still nothing. This continues. ALSO READ: MS Dhoni’s top 10 innings in international cricket

Broad and Anderson replace their sniper rifles with shotguns. They blast away. Ajinkya Rahane finally succumbs. Dhoni keeps taking gunfire. He doesn’t use his bat unless he has to. Anything else is played with the body. Dhoni’s poker face doesn’t slip. India are bowled out for 152. Dhoni has scored – no, willed – 71 of the hardest runs he has ever scored. India lose heavily. But Dhoni stands tall.

Jaipur, 2005: India chase 299 after Kumar Sangakkara scores 138*. Sachin Tendulkar is out for 2. Dhoni Mark I walks in at No. 3. Sri Lanka are up against a hurricane. They don’t know it yet. They soon will. Dhoni scores 183* and helps India win at a canter. Had Sangakkara scored more runs Dhoni would probably have been the first man to score an ODI 200, predating Tendulkar by half a decade. ALSO READ: Can Test retirement bring back the aggressive version of MS Dhoni

Port of Spain, 2013: India huff and puff and reach the final of the tri-series. Dhoni is ill. He plays anyway. Sri Lanka bowled out for 201. Surely the Champions Trophy winners will ease through. They don’t. India 182 for 9 in response. Dhoni takes it to the last over. 15 needed off 6. Dhoni Mark II (29* off 48) on strike. Never has he looked calmer. Shaminda Eranga to bowl. Never has he looked under more pressure. First ball, Dhoni swings and misses. He adjusts his gloves. Second ball. Six over the bowler’s head. Dhoni is hardly impressed with his own hit. Third ball. Over point. Dhoni has a chat with No. 11 Ishant Sharma. Now 5 needed off 3. Six over long off. Just like that, India have won. Dhoni hardly affords himself a smile. ALSO READ: MS Dhoni — The Albus Dumbledore of the cricketing world

That is the Dhoni legend. Greater batsmen than him have graced the game, but none have had the aura of invincibility while chasing. For a while, “it isn’t over till the fat lady sings” was replaced by “it isn’t over till Dhoni is out.” He rarely was. That aura has diminished slightly with age, and lately Dhoni seems to have decided to redefine his role in the team. It will be interesting to see what Dhoni mark III looks like.

Anyone watching Dhoni for the first time will feel he should not have played 90 Tests. No one with his technique should. How does anyone score even 1,000 runs by poking, lunging, and dabbing the ball as much as Dhoni did? Dhoni scored nearly 5,000 runs. If he batted more at No. 6, he would probably have scored 7,000.

Dhoni seems to have done it all by sheer willpower. One can only imagine the carnage that Dhoni would have caused had he been as naturally gifted as Yuvraj Singh. So what does make Dhoni successful? If the answer was that simple, the world would have more than one Dhoni. In truth, he is as much a freak of nature as AB de Villiers.

Happy birthday, skipper.

(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek who loves cricket more than cricketers. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)

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