Don't write him off just yet: Dhoni may not be India's finisher but he's far from finished

Indore: Some 2,000 people gathered to watch Team India practice at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Tuesday. They egged on every member of the team during the customary football game and ensuing net sessions. But the crowd went mad when Virat Kohli waved at them, twice. Even so, the loudest cheers were reserved for MS Dhoni.

It provides a rich picture of Indian cricket at the moment. Kohli’s graph soars higher everyday, and the future – both in batting and leadership – looks exciting with him at the helm. The other colossal figure meanwhile is beginning to take his walk into the sunset, after safeguarding the team’s interests. Dhoni alone can see the last steps of this journey.

It has made for some uncomfortable tidings in the past four months. The loss to Bangladesh in June didn’t help. Kohli’s first Test series win in Sri Lanka only increased the volume of this unrest. Much has been said about Dhoni’s leadership, and batting. Most of it has been unfair. It is one thing to discredit one of its best captains on results alone. But to ask for an end to his tenure, solely because a ready-made captain is waiting in the wings is unjustified.

The situation begged for a statement of intent. But Dhoni has never been one to let anyone know his mind. In that respect, he has been an enigma. At best you can draw your conclusions from the manner in which he performs/acts on the field, and by that marker, the Indore ODI will be remembered for quite some time to come.

India have been unbeaten at this ground since the first ODI was played here in 2005-06. It looked like changing against South Africa, at 104/5, as the new batting order failed to get going once again. Dhoni was the only recognised batsman in the middle, and in a tailor-made situation, he came up with the goods. He started slow, but got his timing just right. He ran hard, and then accelerated with big shots. He was the difference between a sub-200 total, and an improbable victory.

Most cricketers are well aware of their game, yet there is always this aim of exceeding limitations. In contrast, Dhoni is someone who wants to play within these constrictions, maximising his ability within those boundaries, even when he is playing limited-overs cricket. More than ever now, he is aware of these restrictions on his batting.

There is a tendency to be the accumulator, and there is a struggle to get the ball to the boundary. Yes, his powers are on the wane and it becomes amply clear if you study his game from the last two seasons. But they are far from terminal decline just yet.

It has called for some introspective changes, and Dhoni has adapted once again. The flick over the keeper’s head, like AB de Villiers, is a keen example. And then there are situations like this second ODI, where he needed to curb his instincts and bat out the 50 overs with only the tail-enders for company. “If you lose wickets in succession, it just puts tremendous pressure on the batsmen in the middle. Just imagine, if you want to hit a six, you have to to be 110% sure your hit has to go over the boundary,” he said later.

Dhoni hit four sixes in that unbeaten 92 off 86 balls. Three of them were against spinners JP Duminy and Imran Tahir, deposited over long on and square leg, all power shots. The fourth came on the final ball of the 50th over, a heave to midwicket off Kagiso Rabada, the youngster who denied him a winning finish in Kanpur.

It wasn’t to be a second win for the Proteas, for Dhoni was hell bent on enjoying this occasion. Before that knock, he was under mighty pressure, but once relieved, there was a spring in his step. The game’s fate still depended on his bowlers coming good, and for a rarity they did, almost as if willed by their captain.

The bowling changes came thick and fast. Spinners were put on early and they got the breakthroughs via a change of pace. The fast bowlers nicked in wickets later, and the fielding was excellent. Dhoni was elated at every dismissal, almost a school-boyish charm.

His plans were working, and a joyous sigh was evident. The cheers in Indore got louder when the final wicket fell, and he hurriedly pulled out a stump, perhaps the quickest he has ever collected one. This souvenir meant a lot, even by his already immense collection.

It puts any judgment on Dhoni the batsman into perspective. He has grown older and wiser, but slower. Younger bowlers can trap him now with change of lengths and pace, and he cannot be the finisher anymore. His role has changed, and it will do the Indian team a lot of good to recognise this at the earliest, let alone the fans. With Ajinkya Rahane at three, and Kohli at four, this is the optimal batting order. But where does the ageing skipper fit in?

“Once I left Tests I thought now I want to enjoy my ODI cricket. I want to bat up the order but when I see my team, I find it very difficult to just promote myself. Who is going to bat at Nos 5, 6 and 7? I find it very difficult to put pressure on some of the youngsters in the team. After playing so many ODIs, if I can’t do it, then there are not many who would do it. It’s something that I have to do,” said Dhoni.

This is an opportunity to bring up the next finisher. It could be Suresh Raina at six, or even one of Stuart Binny, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. Why it could be a new name altogether, as adverts for this job have sent to the extremities of Indian domestic circles. And the chosen ones will get to learn from the master finisher himself – his innings at Indore already qualifies as a must-study package for lower-order batsmen in that situation.

Meanwhile, the wave of criticism will tide over, if only for a bit. At 1-1, the series hangs in balance, with all the makings of a cracker. Pressure will intensify in the next two weeks and a loss could light up the captaincy debate again. But will Indian cricket ask the right questions this time?