5 reasons why MS Dhoni still has a lot left it in him

Enter caption

About a week ago, Indian cricket team’s chief selector MSK Prasad had said that MS Dhoni’s place in the team is not always a certainty and that the 36 year old would have to prove himself in order to play for India.

After the 2nd ODI between India and Sri Lanka, Prasad must be thanking his stars for selecting Dhoni in the squad for the ODI series against Sri Lanka.

A lot has been said about the former Indian captain’s performances over the past few years and his selection in the side has been questioned by many on a number of occasions. However, he has continues to shut his critics up with his performances on the field with the bat and the gloves.

With the World Cup coming up in two years, it will be hard to imagine a playing XI without Dhoni in it. He still has a lot to offer and could still be the match winner for the Men in Blue.

Here are 5 reasons why MS Dhoni still has it in him:

One of the fittest in the team

Prior to squad announcement for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, all the members of the squad had to take part in a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

The Yo-Yo Test, as it was called tested the gauges the player’s ability to run for extended periods of time to check their endurance.

While veterans Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina failed to make it into the squad due to their poor results in the test, Dhoni, on the other hand, finished ahead of many youngsters in the team. He finished third ahead of Manish Pandey and Virat Kohli.

This went on to prove the fact that, even at the age of 36, Dhoni is still one of the fittest cricketers on the team. As the selectors kept a keen eye on fitness, there was no doubt about Dhoni’s place on the side.

Extraordinary wicket-keeping skills

Enter caption

Despite a lot of young wicket-keepers such as Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan coming into the limelight, it would be extremely hard to match the former Indian captain’s brilliance behind the stumps.

His skills behind the wicket seem to improve as he gets older and he seems to have a new bag of tricks up his sleeve every time he takes the field.

Arguably one of the greatest wicket keepers ever, Dhoni would leave a huge void in the team if he leaves. Taking such a risk before the 2019 World Cup could backfire and thus, we could most likely see Dhoni continue behind the stumps until the tournament in 2019.

youtube-cover

Guiding India's run chases

Enter caption

Over the past couple of years, Dhoni’s position in the side was questioned as he was unable to perform well in run chases – something which he did quite easily in the past.

However, he shut his critics up after leading India’s run chase against the Lankans in the 2nd ODI. With only three wickets in hand and over 100 runs to get, Dhoni played a calm and well crafted innings to help take India over the line.

He might not have been at his vintage best and attacked the opposition bowlers, but he kept his composure, guided Bhuvneshwar at the other end, and ensured India achieved a highly unlikely victory in the end.

Mentoring seniors and youngsters

CRICKET-SRI-IND : News Photo

Despite Virat Kohli taking over as captain of the limited overs’ sides at the beginning of the year, a lot of the team members, including Kohli himself continue to approach Dhoni for advice and mentorship.

We often see Kohli approach Dhoni to discuss fielding positions and in fact, Dhoni himself is seen setting the field on a number of occasions.

Dhoni is also always approached whenever there is a doubt about going up to the third umpire for a DRS decision.

On and off the field, he continues to mentor youngsters and help them in developing their careers.

Experience

England v India - Royal London One-Day Series 2014

Dhoni holds an immense amount of experience under him and that comes handy whenever he comes out to bat or puts on the gloves for Team India.

Having made his debut way back in 2004, he is the most experienced cricketer in the current squad which is touring Sri Lanka.

Time and again, we have seen his experience come in handy as helped India achieve a nail-biting chase.

In his career which has spanned over twelve years now, he has taken India to great heights in all formats of the game and would like to do so right until the 2019 World Cup as well.

Check RCB Squad 2024 Details. Follow Sportskeeda for IPL 2024 Live Score, Schedule, Points Table

Quick Links

Edited by Rajdeep Puri