A Battle between Dhoni and 2019 World Cup
Dhoni! Finishes off in style! A magnificent strike into the crowd! India lifts the World Cup after 28 years! This line is most likely to remain unforgettable for another hundred years. The primary reason for this success was Mahendra Singh Dhoni. whose captaincy helped India achieve glory again.
Any Indian fan can see the final six off Nuwan Kulasekara with their closed eyes even now. No one can deny the fact that our "Captain Cool" gave every Indian a sense of pride and happiness that will stay with them forever.
Recently, Dhoni left everyone shell-shocked by stepping down as the captain just before the crucial series against England and the Champions Trophy which is scheduled for June this year. Thousands of cricket lovers burst into tears, but some are happy that the (G)OLD Dhoni will be back with some more helicopter shots.
As Dhoni has resigned the captaincy, he has nothing to show but his skills with the bat to secure a place in the final eleven. The on-going series against England would be necessary for him to gain some batting form for the Champions Trophy. The biggest question, however, is whether he can survive till 2019 World Cup or not? Had he continued as captain, Dhoni would have been a guaranteed seat on the plane to England. But now, he has to answer his critics through his battling prowess. After 2007, Dhoni has played almost every game as a captain including 2 World Cup campaigns. First, we have a look at his batting performance as a leader and non-captain:
|
MS Dhoni |
ODIs |
Runs |
Average |
Strike Rate |
100s |
50s |
|
As Captain |
199 |
6633 |
53.92 |
86.29 |
6 |
47 |
|
Not Captain |
84 |
2477 |
44.23 |
96.26 |
3 |
14 |
The stats clearly prove that Dhoni was more reliable batsman when played as a skipper. Apart from his strike rate of 86.29, some of his best batting performances have come as a captain.
|
MS Dhoni |
Innings |
Runs |
Average |
Highest |
|
2007 World Cup |
3 |
29 |
9.66 |
29 |
If we talk about the World Cups, which is the prime focus here; he has been a part of 3 World Cups so far. Dhoni played 2007 World Cup under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid when Indian team was going through their tough phase. Apart from becoming a great batsman at that time, he could not prove his skills in the most major tournament. Whereas, if we look at his stats in 2011 and 2015 World Cup, where he was the leader, the story is entirely different:
|
MS Dhoni |
Innings |
Runs |
Average |
Highest |
|
2011 World Cup |
8 |
241 |
48.20 |
91 |
|
2015 World Cup |
6 |
237 |
59.25 |
85* |
The above table clearly shows that MS Dhoni has fired for his team as a captain. 2019 World Cup will not be easy for him if we go by the stats. Let us also showcase you Dhoni’s performances with the bat in the past 2 years that has also been dipped as compared to the previous years.
|
Year |
Where |
Matches |
Runs |
Average |
50s |
|
2014-15 |
India |
3 |
65 |
32.50 |
1 |
|
2014-15 |
Australia |
10 |
222 |
31.71 |
1 |
|
2015 |
Bangladesh |
3 |
121 |
40.33 |
1 |
|
2015-16 |
India |
5 |
212 |
53.00 |
1 |
|
2015-16 |
Australia |
5 |
86 |
17.20 |
0 |
|
2016 |
Zimbabwe |
3 |
- |
- |
- |
|
2016-17 |
India |
5 |
192 |
38.40 |
1 |
© His recent performance does not look like MS Dhoni’s stats, but this is the harsh reality. His batting performance, especially outside India, are well below par when compared to his domestic performances. There are still 2 years left for the 2019 World Cup, which makes the upcoming Champions Trophy the biggest tournament for the former captain to showcase his skills. The positive point for Dhoni is that the conditions would be similar
The men in blue would probably tour South Africa in 2018 which would be a great chance for MSD to prepare well and grab the Big Trophy, this time under the leadership of Virat Kohli. All he has to do is to perform regularly as some wicket-keepers are in line to steal that place. Rishabh Pant’s recent heroics in the domestic circuit can certainly earn him the place in the squad if Dhoni fails to deliver. Other names such as Naman Ojha, Lokesh Rahul, Sanju Samson could be better enough to gain international experience before the 2019 World Cup.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni only plays limited-over cricket as he hung up his boots from the longest format of the game in 2014. His regularity in the shorter formats including IPL can help him to achieve his best even after quitting captaincy.
Millions of cricket lovers would want Dhoni not only to play the World Cup but to lift the trophy once again. However, his first step would be to finish off the England series in style. Meanwhile, one thing is that Dhoni was not lucky as a captain, but India was fortunate to have a captain like MS Dhoni. It is certainly the end of an era.
Now, only time will tell whether Virat Kohli would go to war with Dhoni by his side or not!
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