MS Dhoni’s form in T20Is against recently concluded series against New Zealand has become a topic of discussion among critics. While former cricketers, Aakash Chopra and Ajit Agarkar feel that Dhoni should call it quits in T20Is, Sunil Gavaskar took a firm stand for the World Cup-winning captain.
After sealing the T20I series against New Zealand by 2-1 on November 7, Indian captain Virat Kohli took on Dhoni’s critics in the post-match conference and silenced them once and for all.
Fiercely defending Dhoni, he said,
In this series, he didn’t get much time to bat. You have to understand that the position he comes in to bat, even Hardik Pandya could not score in that game so why are we pointing out one man. Hardik as well got out in the last T20 in Rajkot. You are conveniently targeting one man which is not fair,
I don’t understand why people are pointing him out. If I fail as a batsman three times, no one is going to point fingers at me because I am not over 35. The guy is fit, he is passing all the tests. He is contributing to the team in every tactical way on the field. With the bat, he did really well against Sri Lanka and Australia.
The 29-year-old, further explaining said,
By the time he comes in, the run rate is already 8.5-9.5. The wicket is also not the same like when the new ball is being bowled. Batsmen who are set at the top find it easier to strike the ball straight away compared to guys who come lower down the order. The kind of wickets that we played on, wear and tear have been much more in the latter half,
You have to assess everything. As team members and management, we understand the situation when people go in to bat, we don’t get emotional and excited about opinions of people who are looking at things from a different point of view. You understand how the wicket is behaving, in what situation you are in,
Kohli backed the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman, saying,
He is doing absolutely fine. He is working hard on his game, understands his role but it doesn’t come off every time. He hit a six in Delhi and it got showed five times in the post-match show and suddenly he doesn’t score in one game and we are after his life,
Kohli concludes with another statement taking on former Indian captain’s critics,
People need to be a bit more patient. He is a guy who understands where his cricket is. He is a very smart guy and understands where he stands with his body and game. I don’t think anyone else has the right to decide that for him.
Here’s hoping that the India vs Sri Lanka match in the limited overs format gives Dhoni a chance to put an end to the debate.
