When MS Dhoni started out his international career, he was an out and out aggressive player. But, of late he has been a pale shadow of himself. In the last two years, his struggles have been well-documented. A lot of times, Dhoni plays according to situations but most of the times, his inability to execute big shots become evitable.
In the first T20I against Australia at Vizag, Dhoni scored 29 runs off 37 deliveries. He could just hit a six in his entire innings. The 37 years old, at times, refused singles as well. Australian batsman, Glenn Maxwell, however, has defended Dhoni’s slow-batting.
“It (the slow strike rate) was probably fair enough. With the way the wicket was behaving, it was difficult to score for any batter, let alone a guy who is not known for his power-hitting in Chahal,” said Maxwell.
“MS is obviously a world-class finisher and even he was finding it hard to hit the middle of the bat. So, I think it was right of him to try and farm the strike. He hit a six in the last over and I think that showed how difficult it was,” he added.
The half-centurion from the first T20I appreciated his sides’ bowlers for keeping Dhoni under control.
“If you are holding MS to one boundary in the last few overs, it’s a pretty good effort and also a sign of the conditions as well,” said the aggressive batsman.