ICC World Cup 2019 | It's very unfair to criticise MS Dhoni, says Kapil Dev
BCCI
Kapil Dev believes that the criticism aimed at MS Dhoni is unfair, stating that the wicketkeeper-batsman has done well considering the team’s requirements. Dhoni has scored 223 runs at a strike rate of 93.30 and effected nine dismissals during the league stage of the 2019 World Cup.
Dhoni began the World Cup, or say, began the preparations for the World Cup in fine fettle. He smashed 113 in just 78 deliveries against Bangladesh in the second warm-up match. All of India and Dhoni fans worldwide were thrilled at the prospect of the return of the old Mahi. However, things did not turn out as pleasantly in the weeks that followed. After coming under fire for a slow innings against Afghanistan, Dhoni recovered himself with a late flourish against the Windies. However, when he persisted to pick singles and doubles when India needed upwards of 12 an over against England, all hell broke loose in the Indian fan and punditry circuit.Â
However, Kapil Dev - the only other Indian skipper to have won a World Cup - believes that Dhoni has done his job for the team.
“It's very unfair to criticise Dhoni. It has happened to those who have been rated as all-time greats. They are not going to be 20 all over again. The most important thing is Dhoni is doing good as far as the team is concerned. He may not be meeting the expectations of the public. The biggest problem is we expect so much from our heroes. He is doing a fabulous job for the team and an integral member of the thinktank. With an aggressive Virat (Kohli) as a captain, it's ideal to have someone with a calming effect like him. His wicket-keeping is good, and as I said, he can't be as good as he was when he was 20 or 23," Dev said, reported Cricbuzz.Â
On that note of contrasting captains, Dev was impressed by Dhoni’s successor, Virat Kohli’s aggressive brand of cricket.Â
"As we all know, he is different from Dhoni and very aggressive. Every captain is unique. He has done extremely well in the World Cup,” Dev said.Â
But, neither Dhoni nor Kohli was the most impressive talking point for the former captain. It was the coming of age of India’s fast bowling unit that is pleasing to the man who has 434 Test wickets to his name.
"Not just (Jasprit) Bumrah, (Mohammad) Shami has been excellent throughout the World Cup. A few years ago, no one expected Bumrah to reach this level. With a 10-yard run-up, it's not easy to clock 145kmph regularly. You need a lot of ability to generate speed. This guy is incredible," praised Dev.
