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DHONI IN SPOTLIGHT

MANCHESTER: Mahendra Singh Dhoni was smashing the ball in the nets, the tonk of the ball on his bat sounding scary from a distance of a few yards, and many a time the nets bowlers took their hands away from harm’s way as the ball cannoned past them.

DHONI IN SPOTLIGHT

MS Dhoni trains during a net session at Old Trafford ahead of their match against West Indies. AFP



Rohit Mahajan

AT THE WORLD CUP

Manchester, June 26

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was smashing the ball in the nets, the tonk of the ball on his bat sounding scary from a distance of a few yards, and many a time the nets bowlers took their hands away from harm’s way as the ball cannoned past them.

Dhoni the smasher-finisher in match situations is something India have been missing for several years now; it’s Dhoni’s decline — alas, age spares none — that has caused the middle-order issues to team India. Dhoni’s calming, and cerebral, presence is a must for captain Virat Kohli. Consistency was Dhoni’s forte — his batting average is still over 50 despite a slowdown over the last five years; it’s this consistency India and Dhoni crave, for a Dhoni blast has become rare. In the first nine years of his career, Dhoni hit a 50-plus score every 3.48 innings; since January 2014, it’s a 50-plus score every 4 innings. That’s a worrisome decline.

In the first nine years, he hit 2.8 fours and .79 sixers every innings; since January 2014, 2.4 fours and 0.7 sixers every ODI innings. That’s a serious deficit. Striking fours and sixers at will was his great power, backed by his intelligent and swift running between the wickets. The running remains impressive, but his strokes have lost their fearsome power. He still hits them, but as the numbers show, there’s a deficit now.

Brains trust

Dhoni, though, makes up for the deficit with the calmness he brings with him, the experience and the reservoir of wisdom he’s gathered in well over two decades of playing the game seriously.

Dhoni could still play a decisive innings for India at the World Cup — he could still replicate here his innings of the 2011 World Cup final. India would love it if he’s able to do it at Lord’s on July 14.

Here WI go

Today, Chris Gayle was invited to comment on Dhoni “going into a shell against Afghanistan” in the last match, and Gayle wanted to have nothing of it: “I didn’t watch the game. So I cannot comment on the legend.”

Dhoni had made 28 off 52 balls against Afghanistan; a caveat for him here is that the pitch was slowish and moist, the ball was gripping the surface, the Afghan spinners were bowling well, and the early fall of Rohit Sharma and mid-innings fall of Kohli had the team rattled.

Dhoni the legend gets a chance to find his striking power when India take on West Indies in their sixth match of the World Cup, and happily for him, there won’t be lack of pace in this wicket, and from the bowlers.

A win would take India very closer to qualifying for the semifinals; West Indies, with only one win and 3 points from six games, will be playing for pride — sadly, that’s what they’ve playing for the last 32 years of the World Cup.

The notoriously wet Manchester is expected to be dry and sunny tomorrow. This would cheer India more than West Indies, for India have got top-class options in spin, West Indies have the team stacked with pacers.

Almost exactly 36 years before tomorrow’s game, on June 25, 1983, India scored their most famous ODI victory ever — arguably the win that made India the financial superpower of cricket. Times have changed; this time, a West Indies win would be a big upset. This time India would need to fight complacency, for West Indies do have the resources — especially in some scary batting firepower — to achieve it.


Pitch and conditions

The Old Trafford pitch is likely to be flat. No chance of rain 

15 Wickets in 10 ODI innings by spinners at Old Trafford since 2017. The seamers have taken 56 

15 Yorkers bowled by Jasprit Bumrah in four matches. Mitchell Starc has bowled 16 although he has played three games more

59 Runs required by Chris Gayle  to surpass Brian Lara as West Indies’ top run-getter in ODIs 


Ind vs WI in World Cup

Matches 8

India won 5

WI won 3


Form guide

India: WWWWL

West Indies: LLLLW

(L=lost W=won; Last five completed matches, most recent first)

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