5 reasons why Dhoni is still important to India's world cup campaign

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's abilities to rotate the strike and to clear the ropes are fast diminishing. He is consuming a lot of dot balls in the middle overs. He is failing to capitalize on his starts.

MSD's role as India's principal finisher has never been in doubt up until now. So should he be overlooked? Or more importantly, can he be overlooked? What about his other underrated and unique cricketing attributes?

It is undeniable that Dhoni's primary role in the ODI team requires him to forcefully finish off an innings and him failing to do so is a cause of concern. But the brand MSD brings a lot more to the table.

A day after Dhoni showed the world that he has still got it, in this article we have a look at the 5 reasons why Dhoni is still important to India's world cup campaign.

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#5 Dhoni sets an example

Dhoni sets the standards high

Dhoni is still fit. He still clears Yo-Yo tests with ease. He still runs the twos hard.

At scorching 40 degrees, Mahi kept wickets for 50 overs in Adelaide. He also batted till the end to get his side over the line.

Under skipper Virat Kohli's regime, the emphasis has been to pick the fittest eleven possible. Dhoni, at 37, is one of the fittest cricketers going around at the moment and it is hard to ignore his aura as an athlete.

While fitness is not the only criteria to pick a cricketer, it helps if you have someone as fit as Dhoni in the side.

The mere sight of this old workhorse charging down the wicket for the third run encourages youngsters to work hard on their fitness.

Dhoni was a front-line choice in India's playing XI in 2009. He still remains as a front-line choice in 2019.

Dhoni as an athlete is clearly not yet finished.

#4 India's Middle order is fragile

Dhoni can be India's circuit breaker

India's top three batsmen are among the world's best. There is no denial. But what if one day India is at 4/3?

We cannot rue the situation of that happening after the first ODI against Australia in Sydney. India has to be prepared for all likely scenarios in order to lift the World Cup.

Yes. Dhoni did consume a lot of balls in his painfully slow knock of 51 from 96 balls. But how much confidence the team has in the players that were to come after him?

Dinesh Karthik is finding his feet in the team while Jadeja is seen only as a stop-gap replacement for the unavailability of Hardik Pandya. And the no.4 debate has still not ended thanks to the scratchiness of Ambati Rayudu.

Even with the likes of Kedar Jadhav and Rishab Pant going around, there is still no dependable batsman who can carry the innings 9 out of 10 times.

He may not finish the innings spectacularly like he once did. But he can act as an anchor.

Dhoni the anchor is currently more important to India's cause than Dhoni the finisher. MSD is no Che Pujara. Still, he is dependable enough to act as the team's circuit breaker.

MSD can prevent India from imploding, given the fragility of India's middle order.

#3 One of the top ODI wicket-Keepers in India

MSD is India's best Wicket Keeper

You always want your best possible wicket-Keeper to take the field.

Rishab Pant's keeping is a "work in progress" situation and that's probably the only reason for his exclusion from the ODI squad. DK is already available as a backup for Dhoni.

Dhoni might have lost his skills with the bat a bit. But his lightning speed abilities with the gloves remain intact. That is important as the spin attack of India consisting of Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jadhav needs his support behind the stumps this June.

Besides, Pant seemed to struggle against the moving ball in the cold English conditions last time. Dhoni, on the other hand, kept wickets successfully in India's triumphant campaign in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy in England.

Dhoni has been there and done that before. His skills as a wicket-keeper can be crucial at high-pressure game scenarios.

#2 India's spinners shine under Dhoni's guidance

The spin wizard

The Indian spinners need the cricketing mind of Dhoni.

Last year when India toured South Africa, the home team was completely outplayed in the ODIs. A lot had to do with India's spin twins Kuldeep and Chahal bamboozling the Proteas batsmen. And Dhoni did play his part by constantly guiding the young spinners.

Ravindra Jadeja was not in India's limited-overs scheme of things. But during last year's IPL, Mahi made Jadeja bowl his quota of overs to brilliant efficiency. Now Jadeja is back to the limited overs India side again.

Kohli loves his fast bowlers while Dhoni always prefers trial by spin. He understands game situations perfectly and has the ability to extract the maximum out of his spinners.

The Indian spinners themselves have acknowledged how much Mahi's reading of the pitch and conditions help them bowl better.

#1 Dhoni's experience is invaluable for Kohli

Virat's captain

Kohli is a world class batsman. But Kohli the captain is still learning.

Before Dhoni became a wonderful captain, he had the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Yuvraj Singh in the side to help him out in difficult times. Kohli, on the other hand, has only Dhoni to look up to.

Virat can also be very emotional at times. He has shown instances of getting carried away. Dhoni's calming influence can only add benefits to Kohli's decisions.

During the death overs in Adelaide, Dhoni was seen adjusting the field while Kohli was preventing boundaries in the deep. Once Mahi even noticed that there weren't enough players inside the 30 yards circle and prevented a no-ball from being called. Virat still trusts Dhoni when it comes to making decisions.

The world cup winning captain has been in all situations. He showed the value of experience when Chennai Super Kings won the IPL with a 30 plus majority squad last year.

"He takes the game till the end, when only he knows what's going on in his mind", said Kohli on Dhoni at the end of the second ODI. Kohli should continue to pick that mind a little longer for the wellness of Indian cricket.