Should MS Dhoni hang up his gloves or hang in there?

Has the sun set on MS Dhoni’s glorious career?

The recent debacle in the ODI series with SA has left a lot of bewildered Indian fans wondering if time has indeed run out for MS Dhoni. Admittedly, India has lost a few series under MSD’s stewardship before, but never has it been this bad.

The defeats, however, have been nothing out of the ordinary – with the bowling being consistently inconsistent, the Indian batsmen have been left to chase abominably mammoth targets.

Most worrisome is the fact that India has lost matches from seemingly commanding positions. For us who are accustomed to the master finisher MSD finishing matches off with sniper-like precision, it was disheartening to watch the once indomitable Captain Cool look out of ideas and out of his depth. It was like watching your hero fall right in front of your eyes.

In both the first and the third ODI, when Dhoni walked out to bat, you felt like the stage had been set for the master finisher to show to the world, once again, what “nerves of steel” really meant. You would have expected him to bide his time, get a few cheeky ones and twos and wait like a hunter for the opportune moment to unleash his fearsome strokeplay.

A god being forced to look human

What we did see, however, was a man who looked mortal and desperate. You could see him struggling like a superhero with waning powers. The cheeky ones and twos were still there but what was missing was the ability to play the big shot and relieve the pressure just when it mattered the most.

Now don’t get me wrong, the South African pacers bowled superbly and credit must be given where it is due. Rabada has been nothing short of a revelation and it’s intimidating to think he’s only 19 and already bowling thunderbolts.

But having been accustomed to Dhoni pulling rabbits out of the hat on a mind-bogglingly consistent basis, his inability to take the side home on not just one but two occasions in a series does suggest that something is wrong – really wrong.

With Dhoni being on the wrong side of 30, the inevitable question has finally cropped up. Is it time for him to admit defeat to age and move on?

For a cricketer whose game revolves more around hand-eye co-ordination than technique, a slight depreciation in physical ability manifests itself as a major problem. As with Sehwag, a moment late in picking up the length and the line of the ball is more than enough to destroy his game.

Or am I jumping the gun just like many of my age-obsessed Indian friends? Is it just our disappointment and the hurt of these defeats that is making us so harsh?

Sure, the strike rate has gone downhill, but remember he doesn’t have the luxury of a Sachin, Sehwag or a Yuvraj anymore. Sure, not all his decisions seem to be masterstrokes anymore, but that was always to be expected from a guy who relies more on gut than conventional wisdom.

And to all my angry Indian brethren, I ask you this: Isn’t Dhoni still the best wicketkeeper batsman in the country? Isn’t he the best person to lead India through this period of transition? And most importantly, can we really afford to experiment with the T20 World Cup being just around the corner?