Chris Gayle and MS Dhoni are defying the odds and show that age is just a number
On the 2nd of March, the cricketing world was able to witness two contrasting half-centuries from two modern-day greats. MS Dhoni was his calm and composed self and steered the Indian team home from a precarious situation, scoring an unbeaten 59 against Australia in the first ODI. He adopted a methodical approach, milking the singles and punishing the odd ball for a boundary.
Chris Gayle, on the other hand, was at his belligerent best. His swashbuckling 77 of just 27 deliveries helped West Indies make short work of their small run chase.
What is more important to notice here is their ability to defy the odds and show that age is just a number.
One needs to carefully oversee the approach of these two batsmen. Dhoni certainly knows that the odd ball hurries him up a bit and unlike a few years back he cannot afford to take his time to settle down.
He may have lost out on his ability to strike maximums. But at 37, he is certainly the sheet anchor for this Indian team. Whenever India loses early wickets and are in a spot of bother, Dhoni is always ready with his rescue act.
Gayle on the other hand adopts an attacking approach from ball one. He does not allow the bowlers to settle down and the most striking feature of his batting is his ability to hit good deliveries for maximums.
In the recently concluded series against England, Gayle broke the record of most number of sixes in a bilateral series. The ‘universe boss’ has certainly got his mojo back and his presence in the Windies team will certainly make them a ‘dark horse’ in the 2019 World Cup.
The common thread that links these two cricketers is their unwavering self-belief. They know that being on the wrong side of the 30’s, every failure of theirs will be questioned and be heavily scrutinized. However, they have found their own way of contributing to the team and are definitely doing it in their own inimitable style.
Recently, both of them had won the 'Man of the Series' awards (Dhoni against Australia and Gayle against England) and are setting a perfect example for youngsters.
With less than three months to go for the ICC 2019 World Cup, let us hope that these two gentlemen make significant contributions to their respective teams and sign off from international cricket on a high.