Dhoni failing to perform due to external pressure, says former South African cricketer

MS Dhoni has come under fire of late

Former South African all-rounder Dave Callaghan believed that Indian captain MS Dhoni has been going through a rough patch because of the pressure he has to face from outside the field. Dhoni has come under fire for his performances of late, and many people believe that it is time he steps down.

Callaghan was talking about the limited-overs victory that his country achieved over India. South Africa won their first ever ODI series in India when they beat the hosts 3-2 after a dominating performance in the last ODI in Mumbai.

“Dhoni has been an exceptional player for India over the years. India is the very difficult place. There are millions of people who want Dhoni to do well every time he walks in and that's not going to happen. I feel there's a lot of external pressure on him,” Callaghan opined.

Callaghan also felt that for Dhoni to play his natural game he needs support from other batsmen in the team. He felt that the reason the South African captain, AB de Villiers, is successful is because of the consistency of the other South African players.

“Unfortunately, the batting around him [Dhoni] isn't reliable either. He has to play more of a senior role because he isn't sure whether guys before or after him will make runs. When the guys before him make runs consistently, he can play like AB de Villiers. That's what de Villiers is doing because guys around him are really good and consistent,” he said.

The 50-year-old former cricketer also believed that playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) gave the Proteas a significant advantage in performing so well in the sub-continent conditions.

“A lot of them have played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the last couple of seasons; some have played right from the time IPL started. That has helped them a lot. They know the conditions, they know the Indian players,” Callaghan said.

Although his career as an international cricketer lasted eight years, Callaghan represented South Africa only 29 times. The highlight of his career was an all-round performance against New Zealand in the Mandela Trophy in 1994.

Callaghan scored an unbeaten 169 - his only international century - off 143 balls and put in a good show with the ball too as he finished with figures of 3-32, helping South Africa beat New Zealand by 81 runs. He was deservedly awarded as the man of the match. Callaghan is the cousin of former South African all-rounder Justin Kemp.