The 50th over of India’s innings against Bangladesh on July 2 raised the Mahendra Singh Dhoni question yet again. Batting alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was drafted in to beef up both the bowling and the lower order after the loss to England, Dhoni declined singles off the first two balls bowled by Mustafizur Rahman. He was dismissed on the third ball. There was no final flourish like in the match against the West Indies. India finished on 314 and though the team thwarted a spirited Bangladesh chase (by 28 runs) to seal a semifinal spot, Dhoni was back under scrutiny.
His insistence on keeping strike and his inability to hit the big shots caused concerns. Former India player and coach Anshuman Gaekwad, however, said that it all depends on the situation. “One must see the end result,” he told THE WEEK. “Yes, he is not the same MSD he was earlier. He takes time to start and is batting run-a-ball. But, as a coach, I want to see the end result. If it works even with a slightly slow start, it is fine.” He added that the other middle order batsmen should also deliver rather than getting out after making quick 20s and 40s.
Since his 52-ball 28 against Afghanistan, Dhoni has scored 56 not out off 61 balls against the West Indies, 42 not out (31 balls) against England and 35 off 33 balls against Bangladesh. (The last one batting at No 6 after Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya.) But it is no longer about the number of runs he scores in this World Cup. It is about how he gets them—assuredly, as in the past, or laboriously as at present. Against Bangladesh, every scoring shot by Dhoni was cheered by the Indian fans. Yet, during those two balls he faced in the last over, the buzz turned in to a worried murmur. “I will tell you the reason he did this,” said Gaekwad. “Bhuvneshwar will not strike the ball the way Dhoni does, even today. There must be some plan in his mind.”
Legions of die-hard Dhoni fans have been flummoxed and exasperated at his struggles with the bat. Consider this: After the match against Bangladesh, Dhoni’s name appeared on the list of the five slowest batsmen in the death overs (among those who had faced at least 50 balls) in this World Cup. South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada was the worst with a strike rate of 92, followed by India’s Kedar Jadhav and Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim at 102. New Zealand’s Jimmy Neesham was fourth with 117.1, followed by Dhoni with 120.4.
The Indian think tank and skipper Virat Kohli have one more match to figure out the team’s final batting order. A subdued and reluctant Dhoni has complicated matters. Pant appears to be settling down at No 4 and, combined with Pandya, is reinforcing the middle order. The team expects these two to bat deep and score big to ease pressure on Dhoni, but a failure from either of the two would put the onus back on Dhoni.
Kohli, the world’s best batsman, is yet to get a century in the World Cup, though he continues to be super consistent, having scored four 50s so far. “If Kohli had faith in his middle and late order batsmen, he would play more freely,” said Gaekwad. “That confidence is not there.” Bangladesh’s chase against India highlights the latter’s problems. Bangladesh’s No 8, Mohammad Saifuddin, kept the team in the game with a feisty 51 not out off 38 balls. “In the modern game, you need guys coming in at No 8, 9, 10 and even 11, who can win games with the bat,” said Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes, talking about Saifuddin’s role in the batting order. “You start putting them too high, and you start having problems in your No 8, 9, 10 and 11 positions. I think he (Saifuddin) is a terrific No 8. He is Bangladesh’s No 8. If he goes in at No 8, we are in a good position. We also need No 9, 10, and 11 to score runs.”
After the loss to England, the Indian team management defended Dhoni. Kohli described his approach as “calculated”, amid the barrage of criticism. His deputy, Rohit Sharma, though conceded that to chase target set by England the team “needed somebody like Ben Stokes”. That Dhoni cannot now do a Stokes is glaringly obvious.
“Nobody gets younger,” said Gaekwad. “Naturally, reflexes slow down. It affects your batting.” He added that this was also the reason for Dhoni’s struggles against spinners. “It is not that he does not have the technique to play spin, but he is [not] judging the ball early like he used to,” said Gaekwad.
India assistant coach Sanjay Bangar wondered why the ‘intent’ question kept coming up especially when “MS was striking the ball really well”. Bangar said that Dhoni had good intent against England. “It is just that the English bowlers stuck to their task really well—they used the angles and the large boundaries to their advantage,” said Bangar. “I did not really find anything wrong in MS’s innings. He was batting beautifully. He struck a few big blows. It is just that in the last four to five overs the difference between runs required and balls left just kept creeping up. Except for the odd innings, he [Dhoni] has performed the role.”
“Who would have liked to play the way they (Dhoni and Jadhav) played [against England]?” asked Gaekwad. “There was something more to it. Maybe, the net run rate was on their mind,” said Gaekwad. Jadhav was axed for the very next match, but though Dhoni was pushed down the order, he would never be left out. His experience, game sense and wicketkeeping are the obvious reasons. The sense of calm he brings in crunch situations is another one.
Gaekwad does not consider Dhoni a liability. “Dhoni would not let the team down. This much I can say,” he said. “He stepped down from the Test team. If he feels he is not doing fine, he will step down himself. If he was a liability to the team at this stage, I am sure Ravi Shastri and Kohli would decide, but I do not think that is the case.” Gaekwad reiterated that everyone has to deliver. “K.L. Rahul, Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant. They have to cash in on the starts they get,” he said. “Even Rahul got 70-plus against Bangladesh and got out. I am sorry, but you are a set batsman and you have to make it big for the team. They have to be more responsible. Two to three players will not win you the World Cup.”
Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi said the team has to live with whatever Dhoni is worth now, at the fag end of his career. “He is no a spring chicken any more, others have to take the responsibility,” Bedi told THE WEEK. “They have to protect and honour his seniority. They must shield him. People before him must ensure that responsibility of finishing the match does not fall solely on him.”
On July 7, Dhoni will turn 38. On his birthday, he would be preparing for the impending semifinal. There will be no room for error for Team India. More so for Dhoni, in what seems likely to be his swan song.