Dhoni finished as a finisher?

Subhash Rajta

Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, October 12

The phone rang pretty early in the morning. A friend was on the line. After the usual chitchat, he fired away the salvo he had made the call for. “Do you think Dhoni is finished?” he enquired. And before one could pull out some appropriate response from the still half-asleep mind to what in cricketing parlance was a toe-crushing yorker, the friend decided to answer his own question. “I think he's finished, his days are numbered. How could Dhoni not score 11 runs in the final over bowled by some 20-year-old unknown bowler?” he asked.

While his ‘Dhoni is finished’ verdict could be a little premature, an indicator of the impulsiveness and impatience that a majority of the Indian cricket fans suffer from, his questioning Dhoni's ability to finish off the matches was right on the money. After all, it was around this particular ability — to drag the match into the final overs and then finish it off with a few big hits like it was child's play — that the legend of Dhoni was built. If Dhoni was around until the last few overs, India would win more often than not regardless of the odds. 

But it's not happening any longer. The first ODI against South Africa provided Dhoni with a perfect opportunity to show he isn't done yet as a finisher, but he failed. As he showed in this game, he's still pretty quick between the wickets, but he's struggling with big shots, the hallmark of his game. The power and the timing have gone missing from his strokes. The last time he finished off a match in his typical style was in 2013 in the West Indies, in the tri-series involving India, Sri Lanka and West Indies. In the final against Sri Lanka, India needed 15 runs off the last over. Dhoni needed just four balls to seal the deal, hammering two sixes and a boundary.

MS unsure as finisher 

Two years is a long period in any sport at an international level and hence the fans, some experts too, are justified in suggesting that Dhoni's abilities are on the wane. Interestingly, the Indian skipper himself seems to have come to believe that he can't deliver the goods as a finisher now. Why else would he look to move up the order and bat at No. 4 during the ODI series against Bangladesh? The move was successful for Dhoni as he scored 47 and 75 at No. 4, but India still lost the series. 

Despite the move backfiring in Bangladesh, the team management, too, seems inclined to have him bat higher up. “Don't you think it is about time? He has done the dirty work (finishing the games) for donkey's years. Give him a chance to enjoy himself,” team director Ravi Shastri said responding to a question on Dhoni's batting order ahead of the SA series. 

Yes, it's a dirty job indeed and Dhoni has been doing it for years. But then, that's what his role was in the team. It's this ‘dirty job’ that made him the best finisher ever, and one of the best limited-over batsmen. 

Anyway, the question is, could India afford to have Dhoni as an accumulator at No. 4 instead of a finisher at No. 6? The Indian skipper is still good enough to score run-a-ball fifties, or maybe hundreds, higher up the order, as he showed in Bangladesh. The problem is, there are others, too, who could do that job equally well or even better. Besides, there’s no one half as good as Dhoni to finish off the games for India. His upward move, therefore, could leave both Dhoni and the team in a tricky situation. 

So, there seems to be a bit of confusion about Dhoni’s role in the side at the moment. The best for Dhoni and the team would be if he could get back some belief and form as a finisher. If that happens, he could still win a few more matches for India.

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Last over finishes

Dhoni has batted in the last over of eight ODI chases and India have won six of those games. Three of the six wins can be credited to Dhoni:

vs Sri Lanka at Port of Spain, Jul 11, 2013

15 India were 187/9 after 49 overs, needing 15 in the last over. MSD was on strike. After a dot ball first up, he hit 6, 4, 6 and India won

vs Australia in Adelaide, Feb 12, 2012

13 India were  257/6 after 49 overs, needing 13 runs off 6 balls. Ashwin got off strike with a single off second ball. Dhoni got 6, 2 (plus 1 for no ball), 3 and India won

Against West Indies in St Lucia, July 3, 2009 

11 In a truncated game, India were 148/4 with one over to go, and 11 runs required. After Yusuf Pathan took a single, Dhoni hit 6, 2 and 1, and then Pathan got the winning single

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IPL blasts

The above figures show MSD has been very good in last-overs finishes in ODIs, but not infallible. He has batted in the last over of 5 T20 Internationals, winning only one of them. But in the IPL, his last-over record is fantastic. 

CSK lost only 4 of the 14 games with Dhoni batting in the last over. In three of the four defeats, CSK needed over 25 runs in the last over

In 6 games when CSK needed between 10 and 20 to win off 6 balls with MSD at the crease, Dhoni took his team over the line 5 times

Last year CSK needed 5 off the last over and Dhoni was at the crease. He ran off the first three balls to equal the scores. He got out, but CSK won

So it can be argued that his reputation as the last-over finisher gets a massive boost from his IPL exploits

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The Great chaser

MS Dhoni has a very impressive record in second innings of ODI cricket — he is regarded as the best chaser of contemporary limited-overs cricket. His numbers in chases suggest that this reputation is well-earned

52.39 is his average in the second innings of ODIs, which is superior to his first innings average  (52.11)

38 times India won the ODI when he was unbeaten in the chase. Only on one occasion did India lose with him unbeaten, and one other game was tied with him not out

73.18 is his batting average in Indian wins. This is over 20 runs/innings better than his overall average. This shows he contributes greatly to Indian wins

109.19 is his average in Indian wins batting second. This shows that he contributes greatly to India’s wins while chasing. This average is so high also because he was unbeaten in 38 out of the 59 times he batted in India’s wins while chasing

77 is his average batting second this year, in five innings. This remains imprssive, but India lost both matches against the big teams in which he batted second this year — against Australia in the World Cup semifinals and against South Africa two days ago

41.72 is his batting average this year. This is his worst batting average since 2010, when he averaged 46.15. He averaged lower than 41.72 in only two previous years — 2006 and 2004, when he was a fresh player

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The selectors need to have a closer look at what MS Dhoni is doing, not just as captain, but as a player as well — Ajit Agarkar, former India bowler

He (Dhoni) is the captain and there will be tremendous pressure on him. If he doesn’t perform, selectors will have to think about him. He is not the player he used to be. Obviously to make an impact he has to come up the order. Once the dressing room finds captain doing what he is required to do, others will follow him — Mohammad Azharuddin, former India captain

MS Dhoni is still India’s No. 1 finisher. As you get old, your powers get less but that is the case with every profession and not just sports. Whenever there is a loss, we like to find a scapegoat and today the Indian captain is being made that, which is not right. Please don’t point fingers at someone who has brought so many laurels to the country — Sunil Gavaskar, former India captain