Another tight match and another great batting performance… Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s performances in close games don’t even surprise us anymore. He did it in the last match to help India beat Australia with a six in the last over and now against Sri Lanka, in the very next match, he produced another miraculous knock.
So how is it that a Dhoni who looks so ill at ease in Tests, transforms into a match winner in T20 and ODIs? Is his game better suited to the shorter formats?
“It seems like that,” said Ayaz Memon. “But till around a year back, he was scoring the big runs in Tests too. However, playing overseas as a Test batsman, he has technical deficiencies and you also have to remember that this last year whenever he has come out to bat in a Test match, India is already in some trouble. So it’s not easy to play your natural game.”
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“In ODIs, however, it is a different ball game. The mind games are different, the tactics are different and I feel he’s two steps ahead of the bowlers. He knows what he wants to do and how he wants to do it.”
So how is it that a Dhoni who looks so ill at ease in Tests, transforms into a match winner in T20 and ODIs? Reuters
ODI cricket has seen great finishers – Javed Miandad, Dean Jones, Michael Bevan, Arjuna Ranatunga and more. But Dhoni is right up there with them. Maybe he’s even better than them.
But the reason India are having such tight finishes is simply because the top order isn’t clicking at all. Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina are having a torrid time and the opening partnership is never substantial enough.
“At the moment, Dhoni is probably giving the younger guys a go but don’t be surprised if very soon, we see him come up the order. In the next couple of games, he could bat at four.”