IPL 2017: Shane Warne says MS Dhoni has nothing to prove to anyone
What’s the story?
Australian leg-spinning legend Shane Warne has come out in full backing for former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, stating that the 35-year-old had nothing to prove to anyone and is an inspirational character to have around.
The 47-year-old took to his Twitter handle on Tuesday to post his views on Dhoni to provide his support for the Ranchi-based cricketer.
In case you didn’t know...
Dhoni has been in the firing line during the IPL for not having made a single big score yet. In the 5 matches played so far, he has made a mere 61 runs at an average of 15 and a Strike-Rate of 87. His best performance came in the last game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he made 28 runs after walking in to bat at Number 4.
The heart of the matter
Dwelling on that performance, the highlight was a massive six off the bowling of Yuzvendra Chahal, that landed outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium and that one hit really captivated everyone watching the game at the venue and at home.
However, Dhoni could not help RPS get the final push their innings needed, losing his middle pole to Shane Watson and taking the long walk back to the pavilion.
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What’s next?
Dhoni will have an opportunity to prove Warne is right in his beliefs when his side takes on the Sunrisers Hyderabad at home on Saturday. The last time Pune played at home, they were bundled out for 105, chasing Delhi Daredevils’s 203 for a win. They would hope to improve on that showing against the defending champions on Saturday.
Author’s take
While Dhoni has been struggling for runs in the competition so far, some of the criticism about his form has been quite harsh. Yes, the Jharkhand-based cricketer is not the same cricketer that he was a few years ago, but in the domestic competitions, that he played for Jharkhand, he played some fine innings like scoring a century against Chattisgarh after his side were reeling at 57 for 6 and taking them to 243 for 9, that eventually proved to be a match-winning total.