Former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is still one of the best finishers in world cricket and it is too early to write him off, feels his former Indian teammate Mohammad Kaif, who says that with no burden of captaincy this year, the 2011 World Cup winning skipper could return to his vintage best and start playing big shots from the first ball itself, which could have a big impact for CSK in the IPL 2022 as the tournament progresses.
The 40-year-old wicket-keeper batter made a surprise announcement two days before the start of the 15th edition of the league, announcing his resignation as CSK captain and handing over the baton to star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Dhoni has led the Chennai Super Kings since the league’s inception in 2008, winning four titles and reaching the playoffs in 11 of the 12 seasons.
His decision to step down from the leadership role was seen as the early sign of his planning to bid goodbye to the game. But he put an end to all those talks with his bat in the first two matches of the season and showed a glimpse of his vintage best by going after the opposition team attack and playing big shots.
In the opening game against KKR, he scored his first fifty since 2019 and made an unbeaten 50 off 38 balls to help Super Kings post a fighting total, and then in the second match against IPL debutants Lucknow Super Giants,he smashed Avesh Khan for a six on the first ball he faced and followed it with a four.
He has scored 66 runs with a strike rate of 150 in the two matches up till now, and Kaif feels that this could just be the season where Dhoni is back to his vintage best.
“Dhoni is not finished, he is a finisher,” said the 41-year-old former captain of India’s U-19 team that won the World Cup in 2000 on Sportskeeda. “People have said that his time is over and this could be his last IPL, but look at how he has batted, remaining not-out in both innings. This year we might see the Dhoni that we knew who used to start hitting boundaries from ball one. “
MS looked in good form in the first two matches, according to Kaif, and the friendly conditions in Maharashtra will also help Dhoni play his shots.
“He has left the captaincy on paper, so he may not be under much pressure. So, we might see the free-flowing Dhoni who used to hit the ball out of the stadium. The conditions are good, Maharashtra has good wickets, and he will get pace, and the way he hit that first ball six, shows that he is in good form.”
Even though Dhoni has impressed in the first two matches of IPL 2022, Chennai has failed to open its account. They will next take on the Punjab Kings in the third match of the season on Sunday (April 3) at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
