The Dhoni Question

Rohit Mahajan

Tribune News Service

Birmingham, July 1

India’s reliance on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli — and the absent Shikhar Dhawan — was brought to the fore yet again. The two scored 168 runs and yet India lost handily. The foundation they provided with their stand of 138 wasn’t enough — it’s clear they must build the whole edifice themselves, ending up shining the windows and burnishing the door handles. They’ve got to finish the job, because there’s no real finisher in the Indian middle-order.

Dhoni, alas, is the not the batsman he once was. He’s in the team due to his acumen, not his finishing prowess. It’s brainpower rather than brawn power. Dhoni is a muscular brute of a man; but years of playing the game has left his body with heavy wear and tear. He still can sprint like a hare, but his hand-speed and the flash of his bat are slower. No more can he bend his back and send balls from the world’s best bowlers into the stands. Sporting genius has a short shelf life. Kohli is content to leave the team to him, to set the field and advise the bowlers. Dhoni taking charge and Kohli fielding in the deep or at cover or point has been a common feature of recent times.

This much was brought to the fore after India’s first defeat of the tournament. The Indian batsmen had struggled against West Indies and Afghanistan too, but India won those two matches because the opponents were not strong or experienced enough.

Slower pitches

Indian players have spoken about the difficulty of strokeplay on slower wickets. Rohit Sharma spoke about this yesterday as he explained the inability of Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav to force the pace.

But that’s how the wickets are likely to behave through the rest of the tournament, because the wickets have been used and reused and the summer is settling in and the wickets are likely to be drier now. The opponents are tougher — India will face only the best teams in the knockouts. The heat is on.