3 Reasons why India should finally look past MS Dhoni

#2. Dhoni’s declining hitting prowess

Dhoni's hitting prowess is on the wane

The 2018 IPL provided a timely reminder of what Dhoni can do when he gets going. Thus, the tour to England was looked upon as the series where Dhoni- The Hitter would finally wind back the clock in international cricket. However, after a couple of poor series, it is back to square one for the former skipper.

Dhoni’s inability to hit sixes at the end first came to the fore in a failed chase against South Africa at Kanpur. On that day, Rabada kept him quiet with a series of deliveries that were out of his hitting zone. Teams quickly started picking up on it and they had finally found a formula to out-think and out-do ‘the king of the Death overs’.

Though many different strategies have been tried before, Dhoni has always found a counter to it. But with age being his newest nemesis, he hasn’t been able to come up with something substantial. The result has been obvious for everyone to see: Dhoni isn’t as productive at the death these days.

Dhoni’s USP has always been his ability to hit sixes out of nowhere. It was this ability that masked his technical deficiencies for the best part of a decade. However, with him finding it difficult to replicate his USP on a regular basis, his slow starts have been exposed more than ever.

Though the sight of Dhoni carting the ball to all parts is still a sight to behold, that sight has been too far and few in between for India and for his own liking. If MS is unable to come up with the big shots, a majority of his X-Factor is neutralised.

With the World Cup creeping up, India might want to consider replacing MS if he is unable to wind back the clock and come up with the hitting which made the whole of India fall in love with him.