TIGER ZINDA HAI

New Delhi, January 16 

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar wants MS Dhoni to be “left alone.” Urging the Dhoni critics to back off, Gavaskar says the veteran’s value to the team cannot be calculated despite his lack of consistency. On Tuesday, Dhoni churned out a match-winning 50, including his signature last-over six, proving he could still win games for India. The half-century will give him the much-needed breathing space and keep the critics silent for a while at least.

“My prayer is to please leave the gentleman alone and he will continue to do well. He is also not getting younger. So the consistency you might have at a younger age will obviously not be there and you have to bear with that,” said Gavaskar.

The 37-year-old former captain’s future is the most debated topic in Indian cricket right now but Gavaskar feels he deserves better. “Bear with that little inconsistency. But he’s still of tremendous value to the team... That value you cannot calculate at all,” said the batting great. 

Elaborating on what makes Dhoni a crucial cog, Gavaskar said the veteran stumper’s reading of the game and match situations is impeccable from behind the stumps.

“He keeps telling the bowlers to bowl a particular delivery, what a batsman is planning to do. He has a sense of what a batsman is thinking,” he said. 

“These are the kind of things where Dhoni helps the bowlers and of course with the field placing because Virat is so important in the deep (as he fields outside the 30-yard circle) in the final overs when he saves those two runs diving around, takes magnificent catches in the deep,” he added. 

Gavaskar also spoke about the trust the current skipper has in Dhoni’s assessment of situations. “...it’s not possible for Virat to maybe have a conversation with the bowlers or to make adjustments to the square fielders. That is where Virat has complete faith and trust in Dhoni to make those little bit of adjustments for him,” Gavaskar said. — PTI