48 THE WEEK • JULY 14, 2019
WORLD CUP
ICC
2019
Dhoni is batting from memory, and
that is not helping Team IndiaHELICOPTER
SHORT
he 50th over of India’s innings
against Bangladesh on July 2 raised
the Mahendra Singh Dhoni question
yet again. Batting alongside Bhuvne-
shwar 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
fi rst two balls bowled by Mustafi zur Rahman. He
was dismissed on the third ball. Th ere was no fi nal
fl ourish like in the match against the West Indies.
India fi nished on 314 and though the team thwarted
a spirited Bangladesh chase (by 28 runs) to seal a
semifi nal 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 fi ne.” 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 off 61 balls against the West
Indies, 42 not out (31 balls) against England and 35
off 33 balls against Bangladesh. (Th e 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—as-
suredly, as in the past, or laboriously as at present.
Against Bangladesh, every scoring shot by Dhoni
was cheered by the Indian fans. Yet, during thoseT
WORLD CUP
ICC
2019
After the match against Bangladesh,
Dhoni’s name appeared on the list of
the fi ve slowest batsmen in the
death overs (among those who
had faced at least 50 balls).BY NEERU BHATIA/Edgbastontwo 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.
Th ere must be some plan in his mind.”
Legions of die-hard Dhoni fans have been fl um-
moxed and exasperated at his struggles with the
bat. Consider this: After the match against Bangla-
desh, Dhoni’s name appeared on the list of the fi ve
slowest batsmen in the death overs (among those
who had faced at least 50 balls) in this World Cup.
South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada was the worst with a
strike rate of 92, followed by India’s Kedar Jadhav
and Bangladesh’s Mushfi qur Rahim at 102. New
Zealand’s Jimmy Neesham was fourth with 117.1,
followed by Dhoni with 120.4.
Th e Indian think tank and skipper Virat Kohli
have one more match to fi gure out the team’s fi nal
batting order. A subdued and reluctant Dhoni has
complicated matters. Pant appears to be settling
down at No 4 and, combined with Pandya, is rein-
forcing the middle order. Th e team expects these
two to bat deep and score big to ease pressure on