Pointing finger at MS Dhoni is unfortunate, feels Sunil Gavaskar

India’s last T20I match against New Zealand has divided their passionate and loyal fan base into two halves- one which feels former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has more to give to the Indian side and the other which feels that his time is all but over. The reason for this split in the loyal fan base is Dhoni’s inability to finish matches anymore, as he failed to carry the team over the line once again in the previous game.

Chasing a mammoth target of 197, the Men in Blue had a nightmarish start as Trent Boult sent both the openers back into the pavilion in the second over. But a steady partnership between newbie Shreyas Iyer and skipper Virat Kohli brought the home side back on track, but still, India had a mountain to climb. Dhoni made his way into the crease after the former’s dismissal, and the stage was set for him to shut down all his critics.

But the good old Dhoni, who once used to obliterate bowlers for fun, failed to deliver when he was needed the most. Had he been at his prime, India could have pocketed the series. But the 36-year-old scored 49 runs in Rajkot consuming 37 deliveries, something which has given many cricket pundits a reason to demand Dhoni’s retirement.

Just like many others, former Indian greats VVS Laxman and Ajit Agarkar has also think Dhoni should no longer play the shortest format of the game. But Sunil Gavaskar is not ready to take the path chosen by his fellow commentators. He feels people are unnecessarily pointing fingers at Dhoni and overlooking others’ mistakes. “We do not look at the guys under 30, who actually haven’t done anything but we tend to sort of overlook that,” he was quoted as saying by NDTV Sports.

“So, we will not have to look at the failure of others in the same innings, Hardik Pandya getting out for one by not picking up a googly. We will not look at that. We will not look at the fact that openers did not give the usual start. We will only point a finger at MS Dhoni. So that is unfortunate. So, that is India for you,” the little master further added.

More cricket for Dhoni?

Should the man from Ranchi concentrate only on ODIs now? Well, Gavaskar feels Dhoni must keep on playing both the formats of the game, as he is doing now since that will help him get his rhythm. “For a cricketer, it helps if he plays continuously. Because you are in rhythm and in the groove most of the time even if you might not be taking wickets as a bowler or scoring runs as a batsman. Having actual games and match practice is very important. Match practice is fantastic not only for the physical aspect but also for the mental aspect. So, clearly the more cricket anybody plays it is better for him,” he concluded.