India vs Australia: MS Dhoni's resurgence a huge shot in the arm for Virat Kohli-led side ahead of the World Cup

There is a growing awareness that Mahendra Singh Dhoni, one of the most loved Indian cricketers, could be playing his final set of matches in India’s blue on home soil. And that has made fans in Visakapatnam, Bengaluru and Hyderabad increase the decibel level everytime he’s walked out to bat in the ongoing limited-overs series against Australia. He has, perhaps unknowingly, given the spectators some good memories to cherish in the three games against Aaron Finch’s team. An unbeaten 29 may not have been the best of Dhoni’s knocks in the first Twenty20 game, but the 40 in the second game in Bengaluru turned the clock back a bit. [caption id=“attachment_6191181” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  MS Dhoni has scored 431 international runs across formats so far in 2019, with 301 of those coming in six ODIs. AP[/caption] The undefeated 59 in the first one-dayer in Hyderabad was further proof that his hunger had returned. And he could not have chosen a better time to make runs again after a forgettable 2018 — when he scored just 275 runs in 20 one-day internationals. Inevitably, that drought led to questions being asked about his presence in the side. The less generous said he was past his sell-by date. Yet, the smile never changed, it never left his visage. The respect within the team was high as ever. With the team winning games on the back of a potent bowling attack and the top-order batting, India could not only not worry too much about Dhoni’s palpable loss of form, but also keep trying out choices for the middle-order, including a search for someone to take the No 6 slot. With the World Cup drawing close, skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri may have suggested to the selectors that the five T20Is against New Zealand and Australia would give Dhoni that much more game time. And that has stood him in good stead, given that he has faded out of first-class cricket. In the 11 innings he has played this year, Dhoni has made 431 runs, including 301 in six ODI knocks. Three of his five dismissals have come in the T20Is. He was dismissed early in the one game in which the cricket ball offered the swing and seam bowlers some help — in Wellington early last month — but he has made it hard for bowlers to get him out. Significantly, barring that game in Wellington — when he was bowled by Trent Boult for 1 — he has enjoyed sizeable partnerships worth 137 with Rohit Sharma, 82 with Virat Kohli and three unbroken partnerships of 121, 53 and 141 with Kedar Jadhav. For a side that seemed to have issues with its middle-order batting, Dhoni’s resolve has apparently helped it find a solution. There have been instances this year where he has not been able to get his timing right, most notably in the first ODI against Australia in Sydney. He made a half-century, but few were convinced that he could discover his touch without having played any cricket for two months after the West Indies series, during which he made 50 runs in three starts. Then again, in the first T20I against Australia at Visakhapatnam, a combination of a sluggish track and Australia’s quick and accurate bowling gave him (and the other batsmen) the chance to score just one boundary in the second half of the Indian innings. He was confounded by the challenge of having to bat much of the time with tail-enders. The good thing is that he would get to the World Cup after the Indian Premier League and will not need to oil the rust away from his batting like he had to in that opening game in Australia. He is never likely to lose his wonderful ability to read game situation, but it will be quite something if he manages to retain the touch till the end of India’s World Cup campaign. It may be only on the odd occasion that he will be on the turbo charge, but while he finds the optimum speed to cruise in as often as he has in the recent weeks, you can be sure that everyone batting with him will be encouraged to discover their own gears at different stages of the game. And that is how he will continue to contribute to the team’s evolution. Of course, his work behind the stumps is good as ever — many batsmen will testify that it does help to even over-balance, let along drag the back foot, when defending against spinners. His indelible help to the team leadership on field is such that it allows Kohli, one of the finest fielders in the deep, to even position himself on the boundary line. It does not matter which instrument he handles, scimitar or scalpel. Dhoni can still use it effectively to benefit himself and his team. There is no sign of winding down and till the time he walks away into the golden sunset, rival teams will continue to respect, and even fear, his skills. And his own side will feel privileged that he is a cog in its wheel. As for the fans in Nagpur, Ranchi, Mohali and New Delhi, it will be safe to assume that they will continue to greet his arrival at the crease with a roar than can be heard all over the country. Few others from the hinterland have held a whole nation in thrall with their common-sense approach to their chosen profession, played it with greater passion than him and instilled belief like he has.