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Dhoni is batting from memory, and that is not helping Team India

- Neeru Bhatia

The 50th over of India’s innings against Bangladesh on July 2 raised the Mahendra Singh Dhoni question yet again. Batting alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was drafted in to beef up both the bowling and the lower order after the loss to England, Dhoni declined singles off the first two balls bowled by Mustafizur Rahman. He was dismissed on the third ball. There was no final flourish like in the match against the West Indies. India finished on 314 and though the team thwarted a spirited Bangladesh chase (by 28 runs) to seal a semifinal spot, Dhoni was back under scrutiny.

His insistence on keeping strike and his inability to hit the big shots caused concerns. Former India player and coach Anshuman Gaekwad, however, said that it all depends on the situation. “One must see the end result,” he told THE WEEK. “Yes, he is not the same MSD he was earlier. He takes time to start and is batting run-a-ball. But, as a coach, I want to see the end result. If it works even with a slightly slow start, it is fine.” He added that the other middle order batsmen should also deliver rather than getting out after making quick 20s and 40s.

Since his 52-ball 28 against Afghanistan, Dhoni has scored 56 not out off61 balls against the West Indies, 42 not out (31 balls) against England and 35 off33 balls against Bangladesh. (The last one batting at No 6 after Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya.) But it is no longer about the number of runs he scores in this World Cup. It is about how he gets them—assuredly, as in the past, or laboriously as at present. Against Bangladesh, every scoring shot by Dhoni was cheered by the Indian fans. Yet, during those two balls he faced in the last over, the buzz turned in to a worried murmur. “I will tell you the reason he did this,” said Gaekwad. “Bhuvneshwar will not strike the ball the way Dhoni does, even today. There must be some plan in his mind.”