CHENNAI: Not too long ago, India had intense belief and faith in Mahendra Singh Dhoni. His finishing abilities, sometimes conjured up from nothing, made his chases fabled. Until just two years ago, he could toil for overs and when the most opportunistic moment demanded, he would score big ones at any time.
However, over the last few months, stats don’t favour the former captain. Selectors have been backing him, and so are the experts but in reality, what happened in Antigua a couple of days ago — where despite his painstaking effort of 54 in 114 balls India failed to chase 189 — throws a different picture.
He is not the same finisher anymore. This has been in motion for a while, but has become more regular. He got the anchor role in the middle order, something he had been demanding. But he has been ineffective, and the big shots have gone missing. His romance with the game seems to be waning. At times, it seems he is approaching the sunset of his career. Dhoni had said a few months ago that a final decision on his career will be taken after the Champions Trophy this summer. He is unlikely to be in the scheme of things for the 2019 World Cup and the time has arrived to look ahead and build a team, sans Dhoni. The more he delays his departure, more scrutiny will be on him, particularly with Rishabh Pant in the team. Some of us had lost our adoration for Sachin Tendulkar, mostly due to the way he delayed his retirement, and Dhoni seems to be heading in the same direction.
However, former India coach, and selector Anshuman Gaekwad defends Dhoni. “No doubt, he hasn’t performed, but it’s not an easy place to be, particularly when talented players like Pant are around. His big shots are not going the distance, but the experience he brings is essential to newcomers. He should be able to take the decision.”
He did in Tests, will he do it in limited-overs too?
Even when it came to captaincy, he allowed Virat Kohli time to settle before taking over in Tests, before passing the mantle over in the limited-overs format as well. With Rishabh Pant around, and voices for change getting louder, Dhoni finds himself in a position where it has become a matter of when, not if.