India face off against South Africa in the Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) starting October 2. MS Dhoni, who is back at the helm of the Indian team after Virat Kohli led the Test series in Sri Lanka, recently moved up the batting order to No. 4 against Bangladesh. One of the most pertinent questions on the minds of Indian fans will be whether Dhoni sticks to his old role as a lower-order finisher or updates himself and his position by moving up the batting order. After all, the legend of ‘MS Dhoni the finisher’ might be drawing to a close. READ: MS Dhoni: What makes him such a successful batsman?
The man who could once make bowlers weep at the prospect of bowling to him at the death is now facing his own mortality. The big sixes in the arc between long on and long off are slowly becoming a thing of the past, replaced instead with quick ones and twos. That is not to say that running between the wickets is a new aspect of Dhoni’s batting; he is arguably one of the best exponents of the quick single in the last decade.
However, the trademark Dhoni blitzes seem to have dried up. The runs are coming, to be sure; but the rate seems to have fallen. More worryingly, the ability to bring out a big hit out of nowhere seems to be diminishing. ‘Dhoni the bludgeoner’ seems to have taken a back seat for ‘Dhoni the accumulator’. This is not necessarily a bad thing, for every team needs batsmen who can keep the runs coming even in the absence of boundaries (West Indies could certainly do with a few less six-hitters and a few more single-takers). READ: MS Dhoni vs Virat Kohli: Who should captain India against South Africa in ODIs?
India have quite a settled top three in limited overs cricket, with Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli being among the most successful ODI batsmen in the world since 2013. Kohli has suffered a lean patch so far in 2015, but he is sure to come out of the rut sooner rather than later. India’s problems begin with the No. 4 position. Ajinkya Rahane is the most obvious contender for the role, but sadly he has been unable to hold down his spot in the ODI team due to his inconsistency. As a result, India have had to shuffle around with the line-up, with Ambati Rayudu usually coming in for the odd game.
Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni come in at 5 and 6 respectively, but with Ravindra Jadeja having gone off the boil India have lacked a powerful lower-order batsman. This makes the job more difficult for Dhoni to come in and start hitting immediately for fear of a collapse. On the other hand, if he comes in at No. 4 followed by another batsman, Raina can take over as finisher at No. 6, which will ensure that Dhoni gets enough time to get set and dictate terms in the middle overs.
With the likes of Gurkeerat Singh, Stuart Binny, and Ravichandran Ashwin to follow, Dhoni will be able to bat with more freedom and also bat for longer periods. Every great batsman has to adapt to their later years; Sachin Tendulkar did it with remarkable results, cutting down on his repertoire but ensuring tremendous consistency. Dhoni can emulate Tendulkar by removing a few shots, but remaining an integral part of the line-up. READ: MS Dhoni: Top 10 innings in international cricket
Another thing Dhoni can consider is giving up the wicketkeeping gloves and playing as a pure batsman. The likes of Brendon McCullum and Kumar Sangakkara did so with tremendous results. The strain of keeping wickets could be one of the reasons Dhoni has struggled a bit in recent times, and freeing his body from the constant strain of ‘keeping could go a long way in prolonging Dhoni’s career.
Whatever Dhoni chooses to do, his new role in the team will have to be clearly defined. With ICC World T20 coming up, he will not want to experiment too much with his own position in the batting order. The days of Dhoni the finisher might be drawing to a close, but the newer version of Dhoni will be interesting to behold. READ: MS Dhoni could consider batting higher up the order
(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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