Mahendra Singh Dhoni: The X-factor of India
The recent one-day series against West Indies and England were the proof of the heroics of captain Virat Kohli and “hitman” Rohit Sharma. They is no doubt the top guns of the modern era of the Indian cricket team. Rohit and Kohli have been the leading run scorers of the Indian team in white ball cricket over the last few years. They have actually become the biggest rivals of each other in one-day cricket, leaving everyone else behind.
Before this one-day series, everyone was expecting these two batsmen to deliver and they both did. Both of them scored one-one hundred in first two matches of the series, one in a loss and the other in a winning cause. Amidst them, there is one player who was considered in his last stage of career by many critics, has shut down all of them by claiming Man of the Series award, and he is none other than MS Dhoni.
A few months ago, there were many who were talking about Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant as wicketkeeper batsmen for 2019 World Cup squad. Critics were questioning the finishing skill of Dhoni. But this series has told the world that the “finisher” inside Dhoni is still alive.
In the first match, Rohit came up with a blazing hundred, albeit in a losing cause. A fifty off almost a hundred deliveries by Dhoni was considered slow by many, and no doubt, it was slow. India ended up losing the first match by 34 runs and everyone raised questions over Dhoni’s slow innings.
Many even remembered Hardik Pandya after that loss. But after second and third match, cricket world has seen the resurgent Dhoni and the steel he is made of.
He may not be a top-gun of the Indian batting order like Virat, Rohit, or Dhawan, maybe everyone has started looking for a future wicketkeeper in Rishabh Pant, maybe he is not the same Dhoni who sent many bowlers out of the park with his fierce batting, but he is still Dhoni.
He is still the x-factor of Indian one day cricket. Chasing a target in one-day cricket has always put the batsmen in pressure but Dhoni has mastered the art of transferring the pressure back on the bowlers by taking the match as deep as possible.
In the second match, captain Kohli departed after scoring a hundred trying to bring back required run rate, but Dhoni was cool like his usual self. He waited till the last over and at the end of the match, brought out the trademark six when required.
In today’s game, the target was lower, but regardless he never showed any hurry. He waited for the less potent bowlers, instead of going after everyone. With a small target on board, anyone else would have tried to finish the match quickly, but not MSD.
In the 44th over, he played five dot balls that raised the tension for a while, but Dhoni was cool. We saw today how a chasing side transfers back the pressure to opposition team with a player like Dhoni in their arsenal.
He was not chosen Man of the Series for his three consecutive fifties, but for his successful ability to win the matches for his side. He is not the same sprinter on pitch, but he still runs for three runs. He does not hit those helicopter shots flying all over the field, but he still makes the fielders run for saving the singles as well matches. He is not the top-gun, but he is still the x-factor that gives opposing teams much to worry about.