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What order of talent is it? When he reprised his one-day 148 in the first Test against Pakistan in 2005-06 I began to wonder if he was a Gilchrist-sized gift to Indian cricket. All right, so it was a featherbed of a pitch and to put Dhoni’s century in perspective, Shahid Afridi got a bigger century in fewer balls, but a big hundred against the old enemy early in a Test career always seems a portent of good things. But after that high voltage start, Dhoni’s performances tailed off. There have been a couple of fifties along the way and a few starts but nothing out of the ordinary and his Test match average has stabilized at around thirty.

So were our expectations inflated? Dhoni’s record in Test is respectable. His average after fifteen Tests is just a fraction lower than Kunderan’s and Engineer’s, both of who finished their careers with averages in the low thirties. His main rival for the wicket-keeper batsman slot in the present team, Dinesh Karthik, has an average under twenty-five.

In an international context, Dhoni is clearly inferior as a Test batsman when you compare him to Kumar Sangakkara (who averages more than fifty runs per innings) or Gilchrist (who averages just under fifty). Set against his Pakistani counterpart, the talented Kamran Akmal, Dhoni does surprisingly well: he has a better Test average and is by some distance the better one day performer.

Adequate though Dhoni’s Test record is, his main claim on our attention as a batsman has been his one-day record. He scores at nearly a hundred runs per hundred balls and still has the staggering, Tendulkaresque average of forty-five. And while his two centuries against Pakistan and Sri Lanka came early in his career, there has been no falling off in his one day career, where he has regular racked up important fifties.

Does his record explain why Dhoni has captured the Indian imagination in the way he has?

Dhoni makes our collective pulse race not only because he’s aggressive, but because his aggression exhibits itself in shots I’ve never seen anyone else play. I can think of three right away. The first and least of them is the peculiar flip shot that he plays where he lays the bat face up on the pitch and tips the ball over his shoulder in the direction of long-leg. The second one is the forcing shot he plays square on the off side, with both feet off the ground, his legs scissoring to make momentum in mid-air. It’s a viscerally savage shot that besides violating every reasonable rule of batsmanship tries, in passing, to break the law of gravity. The third Dhoni special, is the strangest shot of all: when he’s served up a yorker or a near-yorker length delivery, he essays a two-handed top-spin forehand which is intended not just to dig out the ball but to whip it to the mid-wicket boundary. More often than not the shot doesn’t come off: its significance lies in his determination to invent a shot with which to attack the unplayable ball.

Dhoni’s an interesting batsman because his aggression is wholly based on improvisation. He plays like a pioneering backwoodsman who has had to invent batsmanship without instruction. In the best sense of that phrase, Dhoni’s technique is home-made. Sometimes this is frustrating: he often gets out playing eccentric shots when an ordinary drive or flick would do; nothing that Dhoni plays, in attack or defence, belongs to the orthodox repertoire. Allied to this improvisatory technique is a degree of premeditation unusual in cricket at the highest level. One of the reasons he does better in the shorter form of the game is that ODI bowling is more predictable and less various than bowling in Test cricket. Also, there’s more short-pitched bowling in Tests and some of his dismissals have raised a question mark about his technique against the short ball.

The reason I think Dhoni is potentially cut out for great things as a batsman, unlike, say, Afridi (who, by the way, has the better Test match record), is his willingness to subordinate aggression to a larger plan. Dhoni has shown an ability to choose his moment, to commit himself to percentage cricket, to coast on furious singles in a crisis, instead of careening, brake-less, on adrenalin. In India’s victory over Sri Lanka yesterday, he hit just four boundaries in his unbeaten sixty-six and still managed a strike rate of eighty-eight. An enthusiastic Hindi radio commentator compared his posture before assuming his stance to Bheem, shouldering his gada, or mace. Given the way he’s built, his rumoured appetite for gallons of milk and the size of that bat, I can see the resemblance. Part Bheem, part Eklavya—it isn’t hard to see why he’s got our attention.

A longer version of this post published in The Telegraph, Kolkata, is available here

I am from Pakistan, when Dhoni scored those 148 against Pakis at Visak (i think) I really hated him... but as I am a keen follower of Pak and Indian cricket I have seen him grow as a batsman and a reliable one too. The way he has played for his country in pressure situations is really admirable. He will be the one to look out for in the WC.

I dont think Dhoni is India's gilchrist because such a comparison would be greatly understating his ability/role in the Indian team. Gilly and Afridi know only one way to bat and you now how they will play whatever the sitiation is. But in Dhoni India have found someone who can play according to the state of the game, while keeping the opposition wary of his big hitting. Its great to see him play as someone who provides the finishing touch in ODI's but I would love to see him play with independance, say number 3. Cuz then he can play the way the gilchrist's of the world play, with abandon and slog every one around. These days the best keeper batsmen are Sangakaara and Boucher cuz they play defensive /counter attacking innings.. I hope Dhoni develops into that mould.

The most rubbish blog in Cricinfo. Dhoni is only a home tiger. Just remember the 12nd ODI against Shri-Lanka, victory was on the mouth but he could not get it. Instead, India lost from the position where they had to get 23 out of 28 balls with 5 wicket in hand. But even they lost due to this socalled 'superstar' Dhoni. And in the 3rd match it was not Dhoni who took india to victory. I cant remember he had played any matchwinning inning outside home. So He is simply nothing

hey, i still haven't read this but i just want the rare honour of being the first guy to post in this blog. Guess post-mustafa moiz, there is some craze for this 'first posting and everyone lambasting thing'. And sure mahendra singh dhoni is good. he can be the future indian captain - he has a strong mind and will.

I agree with you. The only problem with Dhoni is that he plays well but often throws away good innings with a poor shot ie giving himself room and cutting a top edge straight to point. If he can cure this he will be an invaluable addition to the side.

As you say Dhoni started excellently. But this and his obvious innate ability are reasons why one should question how it is he has tailed off to the point of being average in the batting stakes for a keeper. The way you compare him with Akmal is not instructive. Yes he has a better average but that is only because Akmal has imploded even more. You say that Dhoni has not wasted his ability like Srikkanth or Kapil but in fact that is - albeit to a lesser degree - exactly what he has done. He might not be up to Gilchrist or Sanghakarra ability but he ought at least to be averaging around 40 which is the mark of a v decent test batter.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this blog. The analysis is very clever and witty.

Yes I agree with your blog. All have praised Dhoni and it's relavent to note that this is from important quarters: Dravid has said that he has a mature head and Karthick has also praised him as a very helpful and quiet individual.

These are traits of a strong and good personality and, as in every sport it refelcts in the way the individual plays his game, which in Dhoni's case you have correctly analysed.

I happend to see that test match innings in bits and pieces and would rate it very very highly indeed. This is because it might have been a flat deck but India was under pressure from Pakistan in Pakistan and stood a good chance of losing the Test but he played in a manner of agression seldom seen before and it counted as one of the great innings to save a test especially in the Indian- Pakistan cricket context.

I also saw the over he faced against Flintoff when England were last in India: He got 'biffed'on the helemet and Flintoff had lots to say; Dhoni calmly took a few minutes off put back his helmet and then in return 'biffed' the bowler back for a couple or 3 boundaries in a row.Flintoff wisely immediately took himself off!

Another sight was when India was playing Pakistan and he was batting. For some strange reason I saw all the people on the field lying flat on the ground cowering away (imagine seeing Gentle Giant Inzy in that position!) and it transpired that a horde of bees had invaded the field, all except Dhoni; he was calmly leaning against his bat in the classic batsmen's 'at ease' pose , ram rod straight with his head high. This is not to compliment his bravery but to show his 'healthy rural' background; he knew exactly how to deal with the situation as indeed he must have done so on numerous ocassions on the past!

Cheers and All Best Wishes to a very mature and good player!

Nirbhay Singh

it is dissapointing his performances lately in test cricket. In one day's india should really put him in da top four thats where he plays his best cricket and has the ability to hit big hundreds as we have already witnessed early on in his career.

I think Dhoni is a very smart cricketer.. he builds his inning's according to match situations , may be he fails sometime in doing that but still he success ratio is quite good. Well can anyone name a wicketkeeper in indian history having a average of even 30 , dhoni is 45+ which is highest in current indian team , much higher than say dada, sachin or rahul. He can explode to opposition anytime during the match par i still beleive he has to improve his test record and win more matches for us oversea too . Good luck dhoni ...

Hi Everyone nice to c this blog and i have few comments on Dhoni's batting slot, He is good when he plays his natural game but he is often getting an entry when team is in trouble.so we are not able to enjoy his game.Instead of grooming a new player in the opening slot r going behind sewage. indian team management can try dhoni as an opener.Then we can accomodate a talented allrounder in his middle order position. This will bring balance to team as well we can c the real calibre of dhoni.

What a waste ...
Dhoni is a super batsman but will not influence the worldcup in anyway what so ever. He is explosive , reliable, gets big scores and once he gets going the match is won. But he is such a waste because when he come to the crease the direction of the game is already decided.
Come on india ...have your key man who will change matches in the top 3 slots.
Again what a waste...as a Sri Lankan i am happy though to see him bat lower down. any opposition would.

Hi Mukul Dhoni is improving day by day.If you look at his growth we can see him more matured and trying to build partnerships compared to his one man show at the beginning of his career.He has the strength to kill the confidence of the oppositions and in agression he can be compared with the great Viv Richards.Good luck for him in the WC

I would rate Dhoni right up there. He is by far a better keeper than Akmal or Sangakara. Possibly the only other 2 keepers that would push him down the pecking order at this stage would be Gilcrest and Boucher. Both of whom are a very special act in themselves.

Although it seems to be a requirement these days that your wicketkeeper can bat a bit, it is his talent with the gloves that is most important. You just can't fault Dhoni there. Akmal managed to lose his side the test series in South Africa because of his poor keeping - even if he did win one with his batting!

Important point here is that Dhoni is competent with both bat and gloves.

I think a more apt comparison would be Dhoni vis-a-vis Boucher.Both bat down the order and are called on to either step up the run-rate or when the top order has failed.

Dhoni's test career has started pretty much like ODI one.He showed glimpses of his talent but threw it away time & again.Let's see if he can inculcate the discipline he's shown in ODIs in test matches as well.

Hi,

I do agree with Nepali that India lost the second match against Srilanka due to Dhoni which was a winning match. Dhoni and Kartik were criz and it was less that 5 run per over was required with 5 wicket in had. They were able to manage but it was fixed, it seems.

There is no doubt about the caliber of Dhoni. He is super and matured now. WHen he was not doing well, he was criticized by media to be on ramp for fashoion show. But now he is doing his duty. We Indian alway expect the same from one player. His main job is to do wicket keeping and plus point is that he makes the run. Those are only for batting what they are doing. I am sure Dhoni is now a lkey player in Indian team and all oppositon team are looking at him.

Laughable blog.... No doubt that Dhoni is a great talent, but could his hype be because of the fact that india after perhaps kapil dev has found some one who could knock the cover off the ball. Usually indian team struggled to accelerate in the death overs, but Yuvraj and Dhoni have chaged the situation. So now Dhoni is a messiah....??

Adulation of cricketers is fickle in India. I remember Dhoni being criticised left, right and centre for batting irresponsibly against the English touring side.

Now he is supposed to be a player who has invented shorts that no one else can play.... Give me a break, it is rather a tall claim to make, a'int it?

Gilchrist is without a doubt best wicketkeeper batsman ever to play cricket. He has changed the role of wicketkeeper in cricket (Just ask Chris Read).

Dhoni has to do a lot more before he could be compared to Gilchrist. The talent is no doubt there but Dhoni will have to show dedication and temprament over a 10 year period. Only and only then can he be compared to mighty Gilchrist.

I understand people comparing Dhoni to the likes of Gilchrist and Afridi, but these two are proper batsmen, though Afridi at times seems to play his own game. But both can open the innings, I dont know if Dhoni's technique is good enough to face the new ball. I often hear about Dhoni hitting huge shots, but when I see them, they are mostly sloggish-looking desperate shots. Far from any coaching book manual. I dont know how effective that is in the long run. Somebody compared him to Viv Richards,please... have some decency. Dhoni doesn't have the defensive side of the batting under lock just yet either. He has very much too work with.

As to his wicketkeeping skills.I'm very confident he plays every match without almost any errors. But that goes in the shadow of the batting expectations that people have. They seem to overlook his brilliance behind the stumps,which isv the only reason Karthik isn't the main man now.

dhoni is a much bigger hitter than adam gilchrist and has showed he is a proven match winner. if the openerz get a good start, put him in at no.3 and wach him blaze a taril, if someone fallz early then bring in dravid to steady it and then have dhoni ready for some late over smashing.
if he can rip apart the greatest bowler of all time..murali...183 v sri lanka 2005, he can certainly do it to any other bowler...even shaun pollock.

ooh..i think he is having talent alright, but only for the ODIs (works only in subcontinent), and the century in Pakistan in the test was made under the same condition, where his style of play works i.e. on a flat deck and so in retrospect.. his talent only works on flat subcontinent wickets and there too mind you he is starting to fall apart....and well when occasinally (must b joking...i meant to say every now and then) crisis arise (nowadays it has started to happens also on the subcontinent wickets) especially when the side touring then "The Talent Mr. Dhoni" is fully EXPOSED....NAKED....so for me he is just a "flat belter"...nothing more than that not even a decent first class cricketer (judging by the standard of our first class cricket)..nope..i think "GULLY CRICKETER" sounds h3ll better...yup thats sounds good..

Hi everyone,
Most of the guys are saying that Dhoni should bat up the order, which i think is a terrific idea, but then it shows that he could bat at any position for Team India given his strong will and determination to win matches 4 india. Now comes a problem india has been facing since so many years, i.e the inability to consistently make use of the slog overs and milk away as many runs as possible irrespective of the opposition or the nature of the pitch. Even if we have scored heavily in those overs we could easily count the number of those matches and if one can clearly study our batting line up we have players who can give explosove starts and each of the top three(at present in sourav, sachin n rahul) can go on to play through the full innings, so in this scenario there's only one player who could excel at this position i.e Dhoni, his innings would be of utmost importance to the overall score that india can pose. His ability to score boundaries(even big ones) of the fullish length deliveries is incredible and match to no other player in the player.

It is still early days to comment on Dhoni. and comparing him to Gilchrist/Boucher is taking the hype too far. gilchrist /Boucher are battle hardened guys more so in the test version.

He is an exciting utility player.
He still hasn't performed up to the mark on lively tracks.

what is good to see is he has a good temperament to pace his innings rather than slog it off. but his wicketkeeping skills are a touch tardy especially in the leg side.

As a wicketkeeper, one would cement those skills to perfection(area where boucher/gilchrist excel) and then go on to make most of your other so called all-round skills.That's where Pathan/chappel screwed it.

Dhoni has shown the ability to pace an innings, run singles and wield the long handle when necessary.What he (and Karthik, Yuvraj) needs to cultivate is the art of taking the side home like Bevan did and Hussey does now. India's relatively poor record of chasing is more due to the lack of a shepherding batsman than the quality of the opposition. Remember those collapses in SL and Sharjah and of course, Rajkot! He is a matchwinner but if he could just add the finishing skill, he will be an all time great.

Dhoni plays to win matches and also one of the great aspect of him is he plays for crowd. Many batsmen play to win and not think of fanatic indian crowd. He likes to entertain crowds without the expense of throwing the match. Hope he delivers every time he goes to play for his team

Dhoni brings a new energy to this Indian batting order and gives them a new dimension altogether. The wicketkeeper batsmen of the past in Indian cricket didn't create any fear in the opposition the way Dhoni does. A few good strikes from him usually changes the outlook of the entire game and forces the opposition to change their game plan. He is not as consistent as we all hope but so what, his agressive style is his strength and at his position it usually pays off. If he can learn to be more selective with his strokes and improve his technique, he is definitely our Gilchrist. Give the man some time, he is young and will improve provided he maintains his appetite to play cricket for India. The fact that Dinesh Karthik is playing well will only help encourage him to maintain that competitive advantage. He is Indian cricket's big hope and rightfully so!

It is interesting to read all these comments. Dhoni is my favourite player. No doubt he has talent and he is the most sucessful keeper in indian history, who can make his team won matches by his batting alone.He is good behind stumps too.Here is my prediction, and i want everyone to write this down somewhere, so they can check later on after some years. Dhoni will be most successful keeper/batsman in indian cricket. Give him some time he will prove it to all these impatient spectators, that he is going to not only success but also captain india someday in future. There are many records waiting for him. Gilchrist, Sangakara, and others are much older with much more experience than Dhoni. But let him get some experience , you will all be amaze. GUARRANTY IT!

All you people give me a break. Dhoni has exceptional talent, no doubt but its no time to compare him to anyone. He still has to prove himself against bigger oppositions and tougher conditions. He has only played in subcontinent where he grew up learning. So, its very early to compare a new kid to a superstar like Adam Gilchrist. Just watch the world cup and some series against Australia and South Africa and we will see. These are two sold teams. Rest of teams like Mediocre like Pakistan, India, West Indies and so on. Dhoni has to grow mentally before he can achieve marks. It all in the head.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a special talent. He was a big part in India's 17 game winning streak whille chasing a target. I don't think it would have been possible without him being in the lineup.

I believe Dhoni is a special gift to Indian cricket. We need to use him well, provide him the freedom to play his natural game and not try to drag him down.

His biggest assets are his poise and his ability to improvise (as you have mentioned). Even in South Africa when everone was falling like nine pins, he was able to improvise and score a few. I believe he is more effective than Gilchrist with his ability to score in singles if the situation demands it. Gilchrist has more freedom and less pressure to play his game given the strength of Australian lineup.

Both of Dhoni's ODI hundreds as well as his 96 against England came while batting at number three or as an opener. It would be interesting to see his average when bats higher up in the order. If you see his not-out 50s since then, makes you think he would have scored a few more had he batted higher up in the order. As it is, he does his job well lower down the order too.

And let's not forget the primary job of a wicket-keeper is with the gloves. He does that pretty well and has improved since he started his international career.

All I want to say now at this critical juncture ,leading to the world cup is that he has a "Good Cricket Brain"

No man! Afridi is the best in this business, and i think dhoni is a wild talent and he doesnt have any thing regarding batting techniques. hope that all of you might not agree with this statement but
"The Truth is Always Bitter" and one cant accept it simply.

While Dhoni the One day batsman is an asset in any side, and certainly in the Indian side which has lacked a 'at-will-boundary-hitter' for a long time, I would like to see him develop into a genuine test batsman. I would go so far as to day that Karthik is a better choice (batting wise) for tests, for he has better technique.

Coming back to ODIs, I do not reckon he should bat higher up the order, for the simple reason that we dont have anyone else to step up the pace after the 40th over, and there are better equipped batsmen to do the job in the top order - hence no.6 is the ideal slot for him.

I have not seen any Indian batsman hit the ball harder than he does. Will surely be crucial for India's fortunes in the world cup.

dhoni as a batsmen has grown a lot along the way...but i still think he is not tested enough...its not his fault though as he bats at lower order but to be conisdered as a serious batsman the most important crietaria in modern day cricket is to succeed against australia or to some extent south africa in south africa and i have not seen him playin such a knock ...but its decent to say that he is the best batsman wicketkeeper india has produced till date(leave dravid offcourse)...he is circumspet against tall fast bowlers...but his strength lies in his mind which over a period of time gets dilluted as you play more cricket if you dont have a nice technique...and jeopardy of the situation is that india does nt have a single slog over batsman part from him in todays ranks....so his position in the side is pretty secure now....but cant say the same in longer version of the game....being an admirer of the game i hope he gets me wrong...

Apparently, Dhoni as a figure is more polarizing than I thought.

He is not as good as some make him out to be, nor is he as bad as others say.

The important thing about Dhoni is his poise and willingness to work on his game to improve himself.

His wicketkeeping has improved to steady from inconsistent and has some work left to become a good keeper.

As a batsman, he is learning to play better on tracks outside the sub-continent. A year or two more and he will likely develop into a reliable, batsman capable of batting as the situation demands. This is where his utility will be better than say a Gilchrist, or a Viv Richards, both of whom are/were better dominators than adapters.

There is no way you can compare dhoni with the other blasters. Dhoni's shots aren't from cricket book, not even a baseball shot...in the long run i would highly doubt his performance..he is good for a wicket keeper batsman, but can't called be a super star right now.

Well his innings as india lost the final test to England this year was prehaps one of the most stupidly reckless innings i have seen so i don't know where you get this drivel about him having a calm head from.

He should definately be in the top 3 for india in one day cricket as his ability to destroy bowling attacks is greater than any other indian batsman. It seems to me that he struggles most in one day cricket when the pressure is on him to increase the run rate and he becomes too unorthodox.

Kamer, Shahid..Afridi is a batsman?? WHich country are you from? He has only proved himself on batsmen-friendly tracks against mediocre bowling, mostly by India and Sri Lanka. That 77 against SA was an aberration. Come on. Afridi and Gilchrist spoken of in the same sentence? Bah!

There is no doubting that Dhoni is one of the most destructive batsmen in the World when conditions suit him. The problem is that he currently lacks the maturity to rein in the expansive shots when conditions are favouring the bowler.

At the moment, like Afridi Dhoni has a reputation as being little more than a flat track bully. Only when he learns that sometimes an ugly 70-ball 50 can be of more value to India than a 15-ball 30 will he become the star that his talent deserves.

After reading all the comments posted so far, the same old story comes out: No one is perfect. India is a country and Indians are men who have criticised the best of the things, say for an example in cricket only: Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin, Rahul, Dravid and Ganguly, everyone of them has done their bit for indian cricket but they have recieved maximum criticism. Some of them have been accused of playing for their records even. We indians have some different kind of blood in us. When it comes to do something on our own, most of us the so educated lot, would be happy and content doing a back office job and following the order given by someone sitting at the top, but when it comes to criticise someone who has achieved something much better than what we could even dream of, we are the EXPERTS. That's a pity.

In my opinion, it will be too early to RATE DHONI for the time being as he has just played for about 2 years now. The qualities we are talking about are solidified over a period of time and not on a few seasons. But whatever qualities he has shown till now, be it those consecutive 17 chases of which he was very much a part of OR some kind of resistance lower down the order even when his own heroes within the team struggled against the likes of Nel, Ntini and Pollock, SHOULD make us conclude that he has some special talent.

We should also look at the other wicket keepers that India has produced in the past? No one would come close to what DHONI has done even in the few matches he has played for the country. In that regard, most of us should be happy and content. About Gilcrist, Afridi and S.kara, well, Arfidi is out of contention for obvious reasons. I would not even term him a sportsman for the things he has done off late. TO be compared to Gilli and Kara, let DHONI do some more dhulayi..:-) but surely he has shown some glimpses...

Since no one is going to say I might as well. Dhoni's importance to India can be summed up in one word - ATTITUDE.
That is what India needs. It's not enough to do and win but it is important to do and win WITH style. A player is not just his average. Dhoni brings a certain "star" quality to Indian cricket.

As a paki i love afridis batting.......but i think afridi play his best after some matches in good form hitting hard n wild sixes no 1 has seen....but thats not the case with dhoni ,hes a talented batsman n is good behind wickets also ,he is new n has already taken good place in his team but guys dont compare him with gilcrist or boucher ....its too early for that....CHEERS!!

He is rubbish. He was a big failure in windies and in SAF. Any Tom, dick and harry can score runs on dead wickets of India the real test awaits him. He has no style at all I wouldn't pay a penny to watch him cuz I have seen a lot of blind hitters like that in gulis of Pakistan.

Great batsmen, but still has to develop as a character, The real dhoni will only show when he has to face and bat under tough conditions, when his technique will be put to the test.

The standout thing about Mahendra Singh Dhoni is that he tries to tailor his game according to the situtaion. And Rahul Dravid was right to point after the chase against Sri Lanka in Margao that Dhoni has got a mature head. He is just not a
blast-your-way through batsman and that is where he is a real find for India. Whenever he comes to the crease he just does not start firing like some other batsman in world cricket does in the name of playing "natural game", instead he gives atleast ten deliveries to the bowler, work out the singles and have a feel of the situation and the wicket. Which speaks volumes about the maturity of any cricketer. And the fact that he is thinking so much about his own game and the team as well at such a young age in international cricket signals that he is here to stay. He is not a flamboyant or a stylish batsman.. A creamy cover drive or a punched straight drive wont come from his bat at the same time he is stylish and flamboyant is his own way. He can improvise and play some of those strange shots that one would keep gasping for--where did that come from..
And who does not want to watch those lofty sixes with the ball soaring high and high. The purists might discard him as a nonsense but even they will not dare to debate on the point that he is different. And why should we compare him with Adam Gilchrist. The Gilchrist of the yore has been sorted out if not fully yes to an extent. Yes he can murder any attack on his day but there are answers to him now. Dhoni has indeed come as a fresh air in international cricket. Infact I believe he is our only real find we have produced in four year. A glance at the team for the world cup squad will show that apart from the old horses the new chaps are those who are still to blosom in international scene in the shorter version. Dhoni has been a consistent performer for last two years and as far as playing abroad is concerned, he has played too little to be written of.

I am a Pak team fan...but I like Dhoni as a batsman as he is very entertaining ..he can play both aggressive and defensive cricket and his 183 and 148 in ODI were some amazing innings...he is definitely a great prospect for India in WC and beyond...he needs to show his ability against some real teams like RSA and AUS if he is to be proven a real superstar.

This is in response to the post made by ROBERT which said - "I would rate Dhoni right up there. He is by far a better keeper than Akmal or Sangakara."
I am a big fan of Dhoni, but i wouldnt make a comment of this nature. Sangakara is one of the worlds best batsmen both in ODI's and Tests. He averages over 50 runs an ininnings in tests which is far better than what Dhoni averages in tests. True, Dhoni is better at big hitting but Sangakara is a more classy orthodox player who can attack and defend as well as any specialist batsmen. I dont think this can be said about Dhoni.
Furthermore Sangakara is a very sound wicket-keeper too. Thus, as a wicket keeper batsmen, Sangakara is as good as it gets.

Dhoni is a definite number 3 in ODIs. If enough trust is put on him and sent in as # 3, he will do wonders. I remember he was sent at # 3 when he scored 183 (at that time our captain happened to be Ganguly!). The problem with Indian cricket is we are fixated with tendulkar's and forget the it is a team game. Tendulkar is pushing his case to bat as opener. What a shame. The Ideal batting order for India is: Uttappa, Ganguly, Dhoni, Yuvraj, Dravid, Tendulkar, Shewag, Agarkar, Zaheer, Kumble and Patel. The idea is to give young talets like Dhoni, Uttappa, Yuvraj a shot at the top. They may well change the course of the match. If they fail we have all the experience of Dravid, Tendulkar, and Shewag (along with Ganguly) to rescue us and play according to match situation. Instead we have all seniors selfishly seeking to go at top. They may score runs, but will never win us world cup. But with the batting order I have suggested, we maybe the unbeatable team. I hope the team management takes not of this. Dhoni, I am sure will end up as a huge star in world cup if sent in at #3 and India almost certain of the World Cup!.

I think Dhoni is going to struggle after few months , once bowlers work him out . Something like Sehwag , who started his carrer well and now is struggling as most people know that he will chase the wide ball and become out . So I am sure Dhoni will also struggle after some time . India tour to Australia will be a big test for him. But one thing good in him is that he takes singles and doubles , which sehwag rarely does , so maybe he will be ahead of him in some way or the other!

india mai dou hi dhote hai ek dhobi or dossra dhoni
koun kehta afridi is best than dhoni look men on the avrrage and what situation he is playing
never afridi can do that he just come to walk away but dhoni stay and hit when he got or need to hit i like that kind of batsmen
real temprament-------Dhoni kar de World Cup mai dhammal

Dhoni is a player who plays for himself and not for the team and secondly i Dont like him to bat only Virender sehwag is a team player. He is the one only in the whole indian team whom i love to see batting:)

I havn't watched alot of Dhoni, but on first impression he doesn't come across as the type of player he has been made out to be. yes i agree that he has fitted in well with the indian squad, and what his role intails, but i am not convinced that he is world class material. For me its a problem of is technique that bothers me. Get a bowler like pollock for instance to consistantly bowl line and length and im preet adimant that Dhoni's technique will fail him. He might be able to hit the ball extreamely hard, and yes could be crucial for India in the world cup, but if you asked me, i personally would select another out and out batsmen and not rely on Dhoni as a top order batman.

There is one comments I can repeatedly see.
"Dhoni is a flat pitch belter or a pure sub-continent batsman. "
Lets see the ODI numbers. He averages 41.60 away from home, which is incidentally better than most sub-continent batsmen, while playing away from home. (Ganguly - 34, Sachin - 35, Inzy - 36, Younis Khan - 34, Jayasuriya - 29, Jayawardene - 29) The players who have done similar or better than him are Dravid, Yousuf and Sangakkara, as expected. Sorry, no Gilchrist or Boucher there and lets not even talk about comparing him to Afridi the batsman, as some have referred to.
In addition, he was the only Indian batsman to have done reasonably well against SA in the recent series that India lost. (Avg of 34.5) Compare that to most Indian and Pakistani batsmen and you will know. The fact that Dhoni bats at number 6 most of the time, enhances his record even further.
To be honest, I have had doubts on his ability to play against moving ball, on faster pitches but he seems to be doing rather well there.

Reading some of the comments critical of Dhoni makes me think he must be really good. Only a talented person can derive such harsh criticisms bordering hatred and jealousy.

Also, some people don't seem to have watched enough cricket. Like the guys saying he always slogs obviously have not seen some of his innings. The guys saying we lost the 2nd ODI against SL because of him can't be more wrong. Without him, we would not be even in the game. He had things under control until the wickets started falling. Harbhajan and Kumble took 12 balls to score 4 runs. He couldn't get enough strike. He did fail to score the six on that Jayasuriya delivery, but well, that happens sometimes. I'll rely on Dhoni to pull us through in that situation more than anyone else in the Indian team.

I am a Pakistani fan and definitely like Dhoni's aggressive style. I think this is the first time ever that India has aggressive players like Sehwag, Dhoni, Pathan, Yuvraj, and Ganguly in the same lineup and on top of that, great batsmen like Tend. and Dravid. I think it is only their bowling that is a weak link. Imagine a batting order in the ODI WC with 1. Sehwag (when he gets his Mojo back), 2. Dhoni, 3. Tend., 4. Dravid, 5. Ganguly, 6. Pathan, and then the bowlers!!
That would be a pretty scary line up and batting order....only if they bowl that good as well.

This would be an interesting match up for Shobi and Co. as well as Ntini and co.

Too EARLY to have a definitive take on Dhoni. Whats apparent so far:

He's got a brain. He has shown greater maturity than most Indian players at an equivalent stage in their career.

He is very fit. Enjoys the physical aspects of the game. Isn't this one of the most thrilling things about watching world-class sportsmen?

He is the first real big-hitting Indian bat in a while. Which means he gives India an invaluable tool in ODIs.

His batting technique is not good. So he has struggled in Tests. He is however a committed player looking to improve, so he may yet maximize the returns in Tests too.

He enjoys the game. Does little things behind the stumps as well as when batting, that thrill a spectator. He's always cheerful. I love him for this.

Finally, he comes from the same system that I come from. So I will give him rope for what he doesn't do well, as yet.

I like Dhoni a lot. I am a Pakistani team fan, I like to give Dhoni credit because he desreves it. I respectfully disagree with Matthew Koning, in modern limited over game technique of batsman is not as important as his effectivness and how he acquire the runs for his team to destabilse opposition.

Hello Guys,

first of all, you all should come back to the topic - it is not about comparing Afridi with Dhoni. It is more about Dhoni as a wicketkeeper/batsmen. He has developed well and i hope to see him to doing good outside India or more the sub-continent. When he arrived at the international stage i thought that India might have their version of Shahid Afridi, but that's not true!!! Shahid Afridi is far more aggressive and only know one way to play whereas Dhoni has developed himself as a sensible batsmen who reacts to the state of the game.
Currently we will have to wait and see whether he can prove himself on foreign pitches.
In my opinion he is on the 4th position for the best wicketkeeper on the world list with Gilchrist topping the list (2. Boucher, 3. Sangakarra).

Asad

I did not know that you people don't like me. I play for the team. I would like to come 1 down like when i was playing for India A. It makes me feel free to play my game. i come 6 down and i can't play big shots. I have to make sure I keep strike as if we lose a wicket we will lose. I am doing my best and I know that you guys will love me. I have spoken to the coach and dravid and lets see what happens. I am a great player and If i come 1 down i will make india proud.

Dhoni is the best. Why Indian captain and coach are not using him at number 3, is a mystery.

hey JAY ......shahid afridi is a batsman why r u tellin kamer that........jus coz ur country havent produced a hitter like afridi n dhoni so thats why ur jealous.......they both r deadly hitters n best entertainers in the world......gilchrist is an opener n not that much entertaining by the way.

The real trait of Dhoni is that he is a true 'Mitti ka Lal' - son of the soil. You can really see that he plays for the country and not for his personal records. He will go a long way for sure in indian cricket. By the way, one record I would like hime to break is the highest Test score of 192 by an Indian wicket-keeper -which is still held by Budhi Kunderan.

Excellent article. Dhoni has indeed matured as a batsman and his ability to control his instincts and wait for the right moment to throw caution to the wind helps in him making a above-decent score consistently. Hope he does well in the world cup.

Cheers
Mahesh
http://trueleo.blogspot.com

Karim maybe you should include some of the blind hitters like Dhoni from the gulis of Pakistan to join the Pakistan Cricket team. They might enrich the Pakistan Cricket team and world cricket.
Dhohi is good! Any cricket team can use a wicket keeper who can offer that extra mile with the bat.

Dhoni not a team player!! What have these folks been watching. Remember Tendulkar's recent 100? It was Dhoni who egged him on and ran his heart out (to the danger end) to ensure that Tendulkar got to face that last ball to score his 100. Orthodoxy is good, but not necessarily alchemy in one day cricket. Improvisation is the name of the game. Dhoni has shown enough number of times that he can attack and defend as the situation demands and still maintain a strike rate in the high 90's. As for test cricket, give him some time-I'm convinced he can carry his talent and aggression over successfully in a consistant manner and prove the naysayers wrong. And guys, please stop looking for scapegoats and denouncing our players everytime India loses. Is is a sport you know and how ever much we may want, the Indian team (repeat team) is still not good enough to win every match.
Go India, Go Dhoni...

The main asset of Dhoni is his 'kick ass" attitude. We need that. He is very inspirational, refuses to hang his head low and keeps going no matter what. Yes, he still has to prove against Australia, but it is only a matter of time. He is truly a big 'find' for India and it would not be surprising if he eventually goes on to captain the team, and mind you he will be good at that. People should check out the clipping of the pasting he gave to pakistanis in Pakistan in Hutch cup to get a taste of his character

What everyone keeps forgetting is the blend he has brought as wicketkeeper to indian batting which no one has done before, that in itself is a an achievement, As of his performances abroad,I guess the years we will see remarkable improvement compared to the present years. Worldcup will definitely provide Dhoni the right launching pad towards successes abroad.

There's no doubt that Dhoni is THE greatest Indian wicketkeeper batsman....whether he can become the greatest ever in the world is a question that only time can answer.After all the standard set by Gilchrist has been absolutely unbelievable.
After the golden oldies retire after the World Cup and with Shewag and Yuvraj not performing like they should, he could one day, in the very near future, become India's captain.

I think it is unfair on dhoni to compare him with the likes of afridi, who are pure sloggers . time and time again dhoni has proved that he can play according to the situation. in the slog overs he slogs better than anybody else and when the situation requires him to restrain his attacking style and play sensibily he does that.
the allegations by experts that he is good only in indian pitches is also baseless, the way he played in south africa proved all wrong , he was just plain unlucky to miss out on a big score but he had the temparament and technique to cope with the pace and bounce in South Africa.
in times to come he will be a better test match player.
he also has a good cricketing brain and can be looked as the future indian captain.
for the time being though , he should do what he does best, slaughter bowlers all over the world.

FYI Mr Nirbhay Singh. DOnt know which part of india you come from. But would you care to elaborate on Dhonis "Rural Background"?

Dhoni is one of the cleanest hitter of the cricket ball . I think he is suspect to the short ball in the rib cage like(Sehwag).I think when he proves himself against australia then i will rate him.I dont think he is in the class of a Ramnaresh sarwan

One badly timed inning in a losing cause and hundreds of people talk about Dhoni not playing his natural game. And then two days later he scores an equally accumulative inning in a winning cause and every one talks about Dhoni being the next big thing for India. I think the Indians should take their cricket a little bit more lightly and not jump into conclusions and analysis of a player from inning to inning. The pre-occupation of a large amount of Indians with their cricket teams and their personalities is the single most disadvantage that the Indian cricket team faces. If Dravid or Sachin or Shewag or Ganguly were to play for any other team, I think they would have felt much less pressure to perform at 110% every time and that in return would have made them even more successful than they have been so far. I feel the Pakistan Cricket Board (and the fans to some extent) behaves the same way as well. Sri Lankans are not that bad on this account. No one gets upset at individual failures unless the whole team collectively fail over a long period of time. While we like to watch Sanath blast the opposition, when he gets out early, we also appreciate the opportunity to see Mahela, Mavan, Sangakkara, Dilshan and Arnold in action. Hero worship in India and Pakistan are really an unintended hindrance to the career development of young players. Not to mention the commercial promoters and how they must be tying their ad contracts to performance! For the average indian cricketer, it is more than a game or a job. It is a make or break situation for instant stardom every time he goes into the middle! Not a job for the faint-hearted!

Couldn't help but notice the obvious comparisons being made between Afridi and Dhoni (with all due respect don't compare Gilchrist to Dhoni..Dhoni hasn't reached his magnitude yet..not saying he can't but give him another two years to prove himself before comparing him to Gilchrist)back to Afridi and Dhoni, I have watched both play enough to know that they are completely different players..Dhoni no question the better batsman because he does play orthodox shots according to the situation..but I would really have to disagree that he is a bigger hitter then Afridi..whereas Dhoni could compose his innings with strokeplay and defense and play out 20 overs on a firey pitch to save a match..Afridi could never..but I don't think Dhoni could make a 37 ball century no matter how dead the track. Everyone keeps writing off Dhoni as a better slogger then Afridi, I am just saying Dhoni is a batsmen/slogger where as Afridi is a sheer SLOGGER to the core.Nobody, NOBODY goes out and tries to hit the first ball they face for a 6..gets out most of the time, but if he connects...

P.S. No disrespect to Dhoni at all..he's really good.

Mukul I really love your blog. I wish you would write more often.

In modern one day cricket there is a very fine line between aggressive batting and reckless slogging and in the eyes of the followers of the game the only difference is when it works its attacking intelligent and aggressive batting and when it does not come off its pure reckless batting. To dwell on that point and to compare similar kinds of batting styles I would say going by what the world has seen of Dhoni he fits into the first category and Afridi, inspite of all his exploits more often than not falls into the second and this coming from an Indian sounds very jingoistic but most will agree that its pretty close to the truth.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating and its a fast confirming point that Dhoni is turning out to be a great finisher who in most cases stays till the final runs are scored and the victory is sealed the latest example being in the match at Goa. He was not aggressive by his own standards but still ended up with a strike rate of 90+ and with a team victory to boot.
On current form he must be one of the most effective one day batsman even when taking Jayasuriya, Afridi , Gilchrist et al into consideration and has filled a gap left by the great KapilDev finally. A true all rounder and has over the period he has been in the side proved that he has a sharp cricketing brain to go with the natural talent he no doubt possesses. Thankfully coaches and colleagues have not tried to tinker with some of the strokes he plays which wont get the appreciative nod from the memebers stand at the Lords but what the hell when the fielder picks the ball from outside the ropes and the score board is fast moving who cares about nods??

Good enough for a wicketkeeper batsman in the modern age. Some useful fifties in the Test in RSA under trying conditions. Dhoni in the middle/lower order offers some stability to an otherwise brittle tail.

Mr. Nepali You can't be so mean calling this is a rubbish blog. He sure has scored more runs in home turf. You don't seem to remember those match winning performances in Pakistan last year along with Yuvraj. he can handle pressure very well. Of course he was a bit too early into his shots when he stated the career. Now Dhoni isn't a pinch hitter, he is a Batsman. You can't simply ignore someone with 45+ average and 100% strike rate. He was the only decent batsman in the south african tour ODI series, while all our batsmen were practising a parade. May be because you are a nepali, you can't follow cricket in right manner.

Hi,
No doubt he is exciting and if used properly, can be handy for the good of any side, against any opposition. However he is not a favourable site for some one who knows cricket maginally better then an ordinary spectator. He is absolutely unorthodox with no manners of conventional batting.Though there is no single approch to bat, however all those who, successfully played cricket for some years had sound technique. Sanath was no different then dhoni, but he had to change his approach and became an convential batter with aditional skill of improvisation. Afridi had his highs and lows but never was cosidered as a regular memeber, simply becuase he couldnt transform himself.
Batting is a form of art, though bit complex. A btsmen wanting success needs to learn and stick to basics for the rest of his cricketing life, but unfortunately this is not the case with the likes of Dhoni and Afridi. We cricket lovers of sub continent would love to watch them peformaning consistently, but this will remain a dream unless they dont bring the required changes in their technique.I think master craftsmen like Dravid should come forward and help this young lad.
Regards
Saif Abbasi, UAE

Dhoni is obviously very effective batsman but there is no more uglier sight in cricket than is mighty double swing pole axe heave.

Dhoni has the best batting average and the best strike rate for ODIs in the Indian team. Outside of Gilchrist, you can not find a player with such a combo. These are cold hard facts, anything else is just opinions that unfortunately don't win games.

Gilchrist has no comparison and to be fair Dhoni is a very gifted player. Questions however arise about Dhoni's termarament to the longer format of the game where he doesnt succeed as well. In context; looking at Symonds the talent is there but achieving an outlook of a Test player has been a long time in coming. I would like to see Dhoni performing well even though I am a keen supporter of Pakistan. Without a doubt Dhoni has the ability to destroy oppostion attacks and provide an extra batsman. He should learn (with time) when is the time to chase the ball and the time to conserve wickets. Looking at the SA series he lacked this factor which led to his downfall on many occasions. Overall a very fine find for Dravid and Greg Chappell.

On a lighter note i would like to see Sachin Tendulkar open with Sourav Ganguly as the latter has found his feet in International Cricket. This would greatly help the Little Master in also producing consistent performances. Sehwag should improve his technique against the short ball and this weakness is being exploited on countless occassions.

Children, Afridi is a big-hitter, but useless against bowlers with even the slightest hint of quality. An overgrown bully who still claims he is 17.

kevin peterson rocks.. dhoni shoni are no where in same league.. kp the next viv richards!!

enter KP the king, the baap of all dhonis and afridis..take it from me england gonna win the WC and KP gonna do it for them..what a gem of a player...

While I agree that it is too early to start comparing Dhoni to Gilchrist, I was extremely amused reading all the folks who took offence while comparing him to Afridi. At best Afridi is a wasted talent, at worst he is a dumb slogger. Dhoni averages twice as compared to Afridi in the one day game and has shown time and again that he can button down when needed.

Hi Mukul

I would like to see a person who can make even the crude gada wielding as ugly as Dhoni does with that shot no. 3 you described.

But in 4 years (when the Big Three are gone from Tests) I see India batting him as a specialist batsman at no. 5 or 6 and accomodating Dinesh Karthik as the keeper. Reason: they wouldperhaps be averaging 40 and 33 odd respectively at that time.

hey,
let us get this straight.dhoni had two away tours
in wi and sa.he was a flop in both of them.he is not even an average test batsman.he cant bat in seaming or bouncy conditions.i would rather hev karthik thn dhoni.karthik is more assuing as a batsman.ofcourse in odi all this comes to nought as it is all about slogging.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is one of the most formidable batsmen, to bowl to, in One Day Cricket, even more so, than Gilchrist. He can bash the opposition out of the game, or play sedately, as the occasion warrants. What stands out, is the fact that he is absolutely calm, and composed, while going about his business, just like an adept Yogi. I feel, that he is not as much, a natural batsman, as Karthik. Due to his build, he may be a little less acrobatic, as a wicket-keeper, too.

dhoni is world number 3 as a wicket keeper batsman,
only after gilchrist and mccullum..........
hes no doubt best ever wicket keeper batman ever in indian cricket................

Dhoni is the best one day wicket keeper batsman to represent india. I would not rate his batting ability as high as Gilchrist or Sangakkara. But he is definitely in same league as Mccullum and Boucher. He has strange batting style which would be interesting to note if he travels to England and Australia. I dont think he can score as freel y as he does now if the bowling is discplined on fast bouncy pitch. But in ODIs he has no such problems.

Dhoni is terrific batsman but I feel that sometimes he does not read the doosra effectively.True he blasted Murali earlier for his big 100+ but Murali wasn't around this time.I only wish he had spent more time at the nets playing Harbajan to master the doosra.I am sure we can all see a good contest between the two when the teams play against each other in the WC first round.

Hi,
Its strange to see people criticising about a player who has a strike rate of 100 averaging over 45 and shown he can play majority of the occasions.

And why are some criticising dhoni, remember the match between autralia and srilanka when andrew symonds and michael bevan, two of the best oneday batsman, were at the crease and needed 7 to 9 runs in the last over bowled by Vaas. and infact they could not do that. Does this make symondsa lesser quality player. No.

Dhoni is relatively new and in this short ti,me he has shown he can handle pressure situations and was also ranked the number 1 batsman for some tim which is quite an acheivement. He is currently among the top 10 best batsmen. So please stop criticising him

Hi,
Its strange to see people criticising about a player who has a strike rate of 100 averaging over 45 and shown he can play majority of the occasions.

Most of the comments on this have been hilarious to read, most have been written by people who think they know the game but clearly have not got a clue. I am as ardent an Indian cricket fan that you will ever meet, but to call Dhoni 'great' and other exaggerations just make me laugh. In the current team the only truly great players are Tendullkar and Dravid, and maybe Kumble and Ganguly. Dhoni is typical of what the new India wants, brash, crazy, yet entertaining play. But it is not great. Those wo know the game will only need to watch him bat for one over to tell you he will NEVER consistently score runs against top bowling or on bowler friendly wickets, things that Tendulkar and Dravid have done so well for well over a decade; both home and away. The new age Indian fans are very quick to forget the players wo have served them so well for so long, for a guy who how will prove to be a flash in a pan, with a silly hair cut. Just remember the shot he played in the test India lost at home to England when we should have easily saved the test and not drawn the series. But no, lets rave about him because he hits the ball hard and far. Just look at Justin Kemp, he to hits the ball hard and far, but in 10 years time who will remember him. And in response to Prasad Thenkabail's post a while bach, where you stated that Tendulkar should bat six and that he, Dravid and Ganguly were selfish for batting at the top, you are a total joke. Any other side in the world would do anything to have have those 3 in their top order, but typical Indian fan you are, you berate these living legends. You said they would never win India the WC, without Tendulkar India wouldn't have reached the final last time, or semi's in 96, show some resepect to the man many who know the game have called the greatest since the Don.

I think I have made my peace.

P.S. Dhoni will end his career with an ODI average of roughly 30, and test average of 25.