Mahendra Singh Dhoni became a point of scrutiny after he failed to perform well in the 2nd T20I match against New Zealand. His slow batting was heavily criticized by people and some even went on to say that he should get retired now.
However, in this tough time Dhoni’s good karma is rewarding him as his teammates are all support for him. First Bhuvneshwar Kumar and now Virat Kohli has openly supported Dhoni saying that he is absolutely fit to play for the Team India.
Talking about the matter, Kohli during an interaction with PTI said-
“I don’t understand why people are pointing him out. If I fail as a batsman three times, no one is going to point fingers at me because I am not over 35. The guy is fit, he is passing all the tests. He is contributing to the team in every tactical way on the field. With the bat, he did really well against Sri Lanka (away series) and Australia.”
He further explained that it’s not Dhoni but the position he is playing at is at fault-
“In this series, he didn’t get much time to bat. You have to understand that the position he comes in to bat, even Hardik Pandya could not score in that game so why are we pointing out one man? Hardik as well got out in the last T20 in Rajkot. You are conveniently targeting one man, which is not fair.”
He went on to add-
“By the time, he comes in, the run rate is already 8.5-9.5. The wicket is also not the same like when the new ball is being bowled. Batsmen who are set at the top find it easier to strike the ball straightaway compared to guys who come lower down the order. The kind of wickets that we played on, wear and tear has been much more in the latter half.”
Further appreciating the spirit and game of Dhoni, he said-
“People need to be a bit more patient. He is a guy who understands where his cricket is. He is a very smart guy and understands where he stands with his body and game. I don’t think anyone else has the right to decide that for him,”
Well, Virat is absolutely right. A player represents country because he has some real talent in it. Performances can come down in some specific situations but that doesn’t mean people should bring him down like this. What are your thoughts on it?
