Kolkata: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, ever since relinquishing the captaincy of India’s limited overs’ teams has undergone a huge transformation in his batting style. The Jharkhand right-hander, who earlier possessed the capability of demolishing bowlers at will on a given day now has undergone a change in approach, which has paid dividends on several occasions.
The slam-bang wicket-keeper batsman, known for his explosive batting, now has been at the receiving end of a barrage of criticism for his waning powers, but his thunderous six in the first T20I of the three-match series against New Zealand rekindled those memories of his early days in the game.
Deep Dasgupta, a former India stumper, in an exclusive chat with SportsCrunch, sitting at the B.C Roy Club House of the iconic Eden Gardens, spoke on Dhoni reinventing his batting style.
“We’ve got to understand that he has reinvented himself and at that situation, (first T20I against New Zealand) he was there for 2-3 deliveries and he had to go for that shot. It’s difficult to say he’s back or not because he didn’t go anywhere. He was always here,” said a smiling Deep, while sipping at a cup of hot tea.
He further added, “It’s just that he’s changed his style of batting, he’s reinvented it. He’s got lots of experience of what to play and how to play at what situation.”
(Dhoni played a handy 49-run knock of just 37 balls in the second T20I against New Zealand in Rajkot, which India lost by 40 runs. The former skipper hit two fours and three huge sixes.)
The former Bengal captain also exuded confidence when he said that the wicketkeeper batsman is a certainty for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 to be held in England and Wales.
“Oh yes! Surely. That’s not just a possibility. That’s happening!” exclaimed Dasgupta.
The Indian, might have established themselves as an indomitable force in limited overs’ cricket in the past few years but the one embarrassing record that always haunted them was their 5-0 head-to-head record against the Kiwis in T20Is.
But in Delhi, the entire team performed collectively, to hand India it’s first win over New Zealand in T20Is. Speaking on this historic win, Dasgupta opined, “This is a different team. See, those are facts, and one can’t deny that but you can’t really go with facts all the time because this is a new team and they have the momentum.”
The flamboyant Virat Kohli, ever since becoming the captain, has led the Indian team to newer heights. But his style of captaincy is very different from that of his predecessor, said Dasgupta.
“See, both of them are very different in terms of their nature, and they are two different personalities. Dhoni is less expressive while Virat is more expressive. So, yes there are these differences which reflects on their captaincy,” said Deep.