MS Dhoni claims he is 'like wine': Is he getting better with age?

What’s the story?

Former India captain, light-heartedly said he was “like wine” when asked how he kept the performances coming after all these years. After scoring a match-winning 78* in Antigua yesterday, his batting stocks rose again. The 35-year old quelled angst at his declining performances, scoring freely on a pitch that was slow.

In case you didn’t know…

Mahendra Singh Dhoni holds an ODI average of 51, a ridiculous figure for someone who has kept wickets almost all of his career. His 294 ODIs have seen him winning India a World Cup, a World T20 and a Champions Trophy, amongst numerous series wins. He is famous for his unorthodox style, hard hitting and ability to finish a game that would have mere mortals under considerable pressure.

The details

Dhoni’s approach to batting has changed in recent years. Starting slowly, he builds an innings up to an explosive finish, with a par score in mind. 250 was the score he aimed at in Antigua yesterday, and despite a slow start, he showed a powerful batting display at the back end to get India to 251. His recent press interactions have been laid back and casual, and so was his address after this game, saying his performances are like wine, getting better with age.

Extra cover: Suresh Raina heaps praise on MS Dhoni, explains why he is a brilliant finisher

But the issue with that statement is that he is not. In recent times, his batting has been unable to meet the demands of the world game. Often, the team sets a platform, only for Dhoni to take too long to start, leading to a below-par score. The Sri Lanka Champions trophy fixture is an example of this.

Dhoni’s game is not technically sound to save the team on a tough wicket, which makes this innings remarkable from a purely statistical basis, but not if one paid close attention to it. Not only was Dhoni dropped numerous times, West Indies made crucial mistakes towards the end of the innings that gave him ample opportunity to score freely.

In the last two years, while he has averaged a healthy 40-odd, his performances have waned and his inconsistency has proved difficult for him. The new powerplay rules do not allow him to accumulate at the start, with five players in the ring in the middle overs, and five on the boundary at the end. Overall, while Dhoni plays well for a wicketkeeper-batsman, and did well yesterday, he was certainly better at the start and middle of his career.

What’s next?

Dhoni needs to make a call on the 2019 World Cup. If he is unsure of playing effectively until then, he needs to make way for younger talents like Rishabh Pant. His batting is a little out of place in the current Indian set up in that he’s not an out and outright hitter, unable to hit from ball one, and not technical enough to stop the team from a collapse (see India vs Pakistan CT finals for proof).

Author’s take

Dhoni has been India’s greatest captain of all time, possibly the greatest Indian wicketkeeper. What he did in Antigua was an innings that won India the game from a dire position. However, he gave bowlers numerous chances: two off three balls off Bishoo, which were put down by a shoddy West Indies fielding unit. He’s a puzzle piece that doesn’t quite fit and despite what he says about his age, it has clearly affected his wicketkeeping and batting.

While this may seem harsh, this is one of the few opportunities where we got to see Dhoni come in when India were in trouble, and he gave too many early chances yesterday, and completely botched the effort against Pakistan. Had the West Indies been even a slightly stronger team, India would have lost yesterday.