From handing the ball unexpectedly to Joginder Sharma to suddenly announcing his stepping down as Test captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni can truly put the bookies in a spin. Of late, he has been making more news for his off-the-field antics, like attending tourism programmes and frequenting weddings; he has uncannily upped his stakes. So will all of this hold him in good stead, come IPL? With MSD, you can’t count out anything and that is the beauty of this maverick-man from the cricketing backwaters of Jharkhand.
In cricket, form is primary as that helps you get into a side. And if his recent form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare trophy is anything to go by, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is in red-hot form to raise the entertainment quotient. So this means that Steven Smith-led RPS will be a prime contender for the IPL trophy. Dhoni first scored a crucial 43 against Karnataka and followed it up with a belligerent 129, both at the Eden Gardens. Against Chattisgarh, MSD showed his full repertoire, something he rarely displays, it was the MSD from olden days that we witnessed.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is India’s best ever captain and with the experience he brings to the table, it will be important for Steven Smith to build a team and get the combinations right. Without the burden of captaincy one also feels that MSD will have a clear mind. He will not be asked to bother about things apart from the match his own personal game, which will bloom.
