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India had
lost the second T20 to New Zealand way before the second ball of the 20th
over. However, in spite of being pretty much a lost cause, with any approach
being of little consequence, except statistically, MS Dhoni on 49, one short of
his second T20 international half century, refused to take a single.
A ball
before this, Dhoni had hit his second six. In Dhoni’s own universe, he often
refuses to take singles, denying the strike to batsmen he no doubt considers of
lesser hitting ability than himself – either overall or at that precise moment.
So on the
second delivery of the final over, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, not yet off the mark, was
at least in Dhoni’s mind, going to be of lesser impact than himself.
Dhoni was
dismissed the next delivery on 49. Such is Dhoni’s match awareness, and perhaps
overall awareness (of both himself and people’s perceptions of him) that it can
be argued, that even in a completely lost cause – 43 needed off 5 balls – he was
possibly thinking of one of two things – either give the crowds something to
rave about with another six or two, or just in Dhoni auto-pilot mode, doing
what came naturally to him, taking the onus upon himself, even in a lost cause.
Perhaps the
first time we got a sense of this Dhoni quirk in an international was when he
denied Ambati Rayudu the strike repeatedly.
From
September 8, 2014 (ESPN Cricinfo)
“He
had the experience of finishing off similar chases in the past. It would have
been unfair to expect a scratchy Ambati Rayudu to do the big-hitting, in what
was his T20I debut.
Declining
three singles in seven balls when you have a specialist batsman at the other
end was definitely not the right approach. It undermined Rayudu's credentials
and cost India the game.”
Chasing England’s 181 that day, India
lost by 3 runs. Dhoni finished with a 27 off 18 deliveries, Rayudu 3 off 5
deliveries. Both remained not out. Played as a batsman, Rayudu walked in to bat
at seven after bowling all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja. Dhoni was captain in that
match. Rayudu since then played five more T20 internationals for India (his
last in June, 2016), with a highest of 20.
In that game from 2014 , as in
yesterday’s, Virat Kohli was India’s highest scorer. Ironically, with somewhat
similar scores – 66 off 41 deliveries (9 4s, 1 six) that day, 65 off 42 (8 4s,
1 six) yesterday.
Appears both Kohli and Dhoni are stuck in
a rut. As too are India’s selectors, team management and cricket watching
public. While Kohli’s rut is a batting masterclass, Dhoni’s needs to be
examined further.
While Dhoni’s cricketing mind continues
to evolve, as is obvious in his leadership role, even under Kohli’s captaincy
(as was evident in the recently concluded ODI series vs New Zealand), his
batting often meets with the same comment from VVS Laxman amongst others on air
– “Dhoni nowadays needs those extra few deliveries to warm up before he can get
into his stride”.
In yesterday’s innings, chasing an
asking rate way in excess of 10 runs per over, Dhoni at some point was striking
at less than a run a ball. That in spite of the one six. But Dhoni is not alone
– India’s overall T20 batting is very much stuck in the 50 over format, a
format that both Dhoni and India continue to master.
Regardless of the series outcome, India
continues to embarrass some very good longer format batsmen by picking them for
an entirely different game, which face it, T20 is.
Faced with a suspicion that Hardik
Pandya may not be the fifth bowling option further complicates the team’s
selection.
Yesterday, Dhoni walked out to bat at
six, with no serious batting cover to follow – which is not to belittle
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s recent surge with the bat (26 off 15, 2 4s, 2 6s less than
a fortnight back) and more significantly, the 72 runs off 8.5 overs in
partnership with Dhoni vs Australia as recently as on 17th
September. Bhuvi finished with 32 off 30, Dhoni 79 off 88.
But that’s an altogether different
format. To watch Dhoni come down the track, only to play the ball back to the
bowler or a fielder within the circle has become a common sight. It works for
him and for India in ODIs.
It doesn’t with Dhoni low down at six
in T20s. Dhoni may still be the finisher, though not with the same impact, and
needs to be re-examined as the nourisher in T20s, and bat no lower than four. Also
questions should be asked, is there time and place for a nourisher in T20s? And
if so, how many?
It may not be a bad thing for Dhoni to take
a relook at himself. And his batting partner from the other end. Let other’s
fail at not finishing the game for a change.
It’s not
easy being Dhoni. Not even for Dhoni these days.
First published here
