3 Reasons why India need MS Dhoni in T20 World Cup 2020

2. Dhoni still owns quality at the back-end of the innings

A sorrowful half-century against the Kiwis out of context is still fresh in the minds of purists who have pinned the finisher in Dhoni down. But, his standards are held so high that despite a strike rate of 91.33 in his last five ODI innings, he is regarded as a ‘finished’ commodity.

And not so long ago, the swashbuckling willow-wielder was smoking them right out of the park in the IPL whilst carrying an under-fire Chennai Super Kings side, who stormed to the final courtesy of their bowling performances.

He recorded 416 runs in the premier T20 event at a ballistic average of 83.2 and a healthy scoring rate of 134.62. He may have donned the Indian blue in the T20 version way back in February 2019, but Dhoni still possesses massive quality during the business end of an innings.

It’s not just about muscle and the long levers that come to the fore when he’s on song, but also the intelligence to knock the ball into gaps and pluck twos and even threes. It’s about targeting the right bowlers, playing to the weakness of the opposition and then wreaking havoc at will.