Now, MS will anchor the innings: Sachin

New Delhi, January 16 

MS Dhoni will now be more like an anchor who would “control the game till the end”, reckons the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. “Yesterday's contribution was good. In the first match, I felt he was a little rusty, he was not being able to hit the ball where he wanted to and that can happen to anyone. He walked out in the second match thinking differently and from ball one he looked a different player,” Tendulkar said on his app 100MB. 

Dhoni played the anchor as well as the finisher at Adelaide. “Dhoni is someone who loves to play a few dot balls, understand the wicket, the bowlers, and likes to take the game till the end. That is exactly what he did. He is someone who is going to control the game from one end,” observed Tendulkar.

He also praised Dinesh Karthik for his role as a “finisher” and complementing Dhoni's experience in the final overs. “Along with Dhoni, I felt Dinesh Karthik played rather well as he came and finished the game. It was a fantastic contribution from Dinesh also. Dhoni stayed till the end and his experience mattered.”

With both Dhoni and Karthik performing, Tendulkar cited the practical difficulties in having Rishabh Pant in the World Cup squad. “It's a nice thought (to have Pant in) but we have already got Dhoni and Karthik playing as a batter, we have two wicketkeepers who have contributed in our success yesterday. They have had a crucial partnership which won us the match.” — PTI 

Dhoni knows how to play in different situations: Gillespie

Adelaide: MS Dhoni knows how to pace his innings according to match situations and that’s what makes him an asset for India, said former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie. “India have benefitted from Dhoni’s finishing ability for more than a decade. They are still benefitting from it. They benefitted from his experience when they were down at 4-3 in Sydney as well. He was a bit slow in Sydney but you have to understand why. He played the situation,” said Gillespie. “And it is tough to keep coming down the order and playing as per different situations. In Adelaide, he had a completely different situation, so he played differently. He has played over 300 ODIs, so he knows how to play in different situations,” he added.