South Africa Test series: MS Dhoni asks to look at positives, happy that bowlers took all 20 wickets

Dhoni said the fact that Indian bowlers are taking 20 wickets in a match is a sign that the side is never too far from a win.

MS Dhoni said you can never write off a side capable of claiming 20 wickets in a Test match (File | PTI)

CHENNAI: Former players and pundits have been busy panning the Indian team for their less-than-satisfactory performances in South Africa. After losing the first Test by 72 runs, the visitors again crumbled like a pack of cards in the second match as well, going down by 135 runs in a very sub-continent like pitch. The manner of their losses has predictably got a few people hot under the collar but former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni isn’t one of them.

His acumen has been widely appreciated and it again came to the fore during an interactive session on the sidelines of a promotional event in the city on Friday. “I would say, ‘look at the positives’ (of both the matches),” he said. “To win a Test, we need 20 wickets, regardless of whether you are playing at home or away. We have taken 20 wickets (in both matches).”

Dhoni, who is one of only two Indian skippers to have tasted a Test win in South Africa (Durban in 2010), knows what he is talking about. In the five Tests he has captained in the Rainbow Nation, the Indian bowlers managed to take 20 wickets in a Test only twice. For that reason, he said taking 20 wickets in both matches has been one of the biggest positives for the Virat Kohli-led side. “The biggest positive is that we are taking 20 wickets which means we are always in a position to win a Test.”

The Indian batsmen have twice let the team down and the stumper was of the opinion that if and when they come good, the wins will follow. “Once you start scoring runs, you will be there,” he said.

sports@newindianexpress.com