Published: Jun 15, 2015, 08:00 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 15, 2015, 07:57 AM (IST)
Over the years, MS Dhoni has led his teams to many titles but the workload has affected his batting. We do not often see the big hits from Dhoni that he is still known for. Of late, his batting has shown a general decline. But with his retirement from Test cricket, Nikhil Popat feels we might just get to see the old and aggressive Dhoni back. READ: MS Dhoni’s Test retirement: A deconstruction effort
MS Dhoni led India to triumph in the inaugural edition of ICC World Twenty20. He led his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, Chennai Super Kings to the IPL title twice. He played a match-winning knock in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final to end India’s 28-year wait. India won the Champions Trophy in 2013, reached the final of the ICC Twenty20 2014, and the semi-final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 as well. Dhoni featured in virtually every game India played in this time, barring the occasional break. The pressure was finally telling. READ: Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag, Shikhar Dhawan and biopics of other cricketers
Dhoni gave up on Test cricket — the format he had least success in — mid-way through the four-match Test series in Australia in 2014-15. It was unexpected, but it was a sign from Dhoni, acknowledging that he could not continue to handle everything. The pressure of captaincy was getting to him, especially to his batting. His one-day form over the years has dipped a bit but he remains consistent. READ: MS Dhoni’s 10 most memorable sixes
|
Year |
M |
I |
RUNS |
HS |
AVE |
SR |
100s |
50s |
4s |
6s |
|
2004 |
3 |
3 |
19 |
12 |
9.5 |
135.71 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
|
2005 |
27 |
24 |
895 |
183* |
49.72 |
103.11 |
2 |
3 |
67 |
34 |
|
2006 |
29 |
26 |
821 |
96 |
41.05 |
92.97 |
0 |
7 |
81 |
20 |
|
2007 |
37 |
33 |
1103 |
139* |
44.12 |
89.6 |
1 |
7 |
87 |
23 |
|
2008 |
29 |
26 |
1097 |
109* |
57.73 |
82.29 |
1 |
8 |
74 |
14 |
|
2009 |
29 |
24 |
1198 |
124 |
70.47 |
85.57 |
2 |
9 |
79 |
18 |
|
2010 |
18 |
17 |
600 |
101* |
46.15 |
78.94 |
1 |
3 |
52 |
9 |
|
2011 |
24 |
22 |
764 |
91* |
58.76 |
89.88 |
0 |
6 |
59 |
14 |
|
2012 |
16 |
14 |
524 |
113* |
65.5 |
87.62 |
1 |
3 |
37 |
9 |
|
2013 |
26 |
20 |
753 |
139* |
62.75 |
96.04 |
1 |
5 |
67 |
24 |
|
2014 |
12 |
10 |
418 |
79* |
52.25 |
92.07 |
0 |
5 |
32 |
11 |
|
2015 |
12 |
9 |
307 |
85* |
43.85 |
86.23 |
0 |
2 |
24 |
6 |
His run scoring does not stop; one never truly knows when and if he is in form or not. If he cannot get the boundaries, he runs hard between the wickets to make up for it. READ: MS Dhoni — the Albus Dumbledore of the cricketing world
The above table shows that his average is still good enough across years for someone who bats lower down the order; his strike rate is healthy as well. However, he turned his game around so much for the team that it is almost impossible to imagine this current version of Dhoni as the man who hammered 183 not out a decade ago. READ: MS Dhoni only Indian to list Forbes’ 100 highest-paid athletes in the world
He still plays the big shots, but the frequency — and potency — has reduced. Of late he has started to take time to get going. He often drags the game too late for others to have a chance after him; he had enough faith in himself that he would see games through, but even that might not be the case anymore. READ: An open letter to MS Dhoni
People rightly started to question his batting. Dhoni has since revealed that the inconsistency of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin forced him to bat carefully since he knew if he went for his shots early and got out, India might lose out on the crucial 20-30 runs towards the end. READ: MS Dhoni and the tough life of a cricketer
Now that he has retired from Test cricket, he is done with the format he changed his technique for. Just before leaving for the series in Bangladesh, he went back to his coach, MP Singh, at National Stadium in New Delhi to get his big hitting flourish back. It is a welcome sign. READ: MS Dhoni keen to get back to big hitting after Test retirement
His coach said that Dhoni had changed his technique to adapt to the demands of Test cricket, and it showed in the series in England in 2014, where he left the ball well and often scored runs when the celebrated top order failed. READ: MS Dhoni retires from Tests: 10 memorable innings
One feels that he probably went so much into a cautious mind-set that he needed the break to get back to his aggressive best. The retirement from Tests has given him that opportunity, and he would want to make the most of it to re-establish his credentials as one of the — if not the — finest finishers in limited overs cricket. READ: MS Dhoni retires: An ode to the magnificent
He practicised facing spinners, since he knows that is what he is going to face in Bangladesh. He batted against his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team-mate Pawan Negi and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who had a superb IPL 2015. READ: MS Dhoni retires from Test cricket: Stats overview
Dhoni went after them and hit them long and hard, which would have delighted not only his coach but Dhoni himself. With the ICC World Twenty20 coming up in 2016 in home conditions, an attacking and aggressive Dhoni would be exactly what India needs. Bear in mind, Dhoni has yet to score a T20I fifty! READ: MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli: Films that could be based on cricketers’ lives
Another aspect Dhoni could consider is promoting himself up the order in the shortest format of the game. He takes his time to settle down, and that should be ideal for a No. 4 in T20s. That way, he can bat throughout the innings and allow the others to keep going for their shots. Once set and into the final overs, there are few better batsmen than him to play the big hits. Whatever Dhoni’s intentions, going back to his big-hitting days will benefit not only Dhoni the batsman, but also Dhoni the captain. READ: Dhoni’s Helicopter Shot — an analysis
(Nikhil Popat is a cricket lover and a PotterHead. He can be followed on Twitter @CricCrazyNIKS)
