Anil Kumble Leaps To Defence Of Under-Fire MS Dhoni

Legendary spinner Anil Kumble feels Team India should not depend on veteran MS Dhoni to finish the game for them as he said the 37-year old should be allowed to enjoy his game.

There is absolutely no denying the fact that MS Dhoni is one of the greatest finishers the game has ever seen. However, the India star has looked like a pale shadow of his former self in recent months.

The fans were expecting Dhoni to fire in international cricket again after he led Chennai Super Kings to their third Indian Premier League title. Dhoni enjoyed a stunning season with the bat, amassing 455 runs in 16 games.

However, he has struggled with the bat since then. The veteran had a forgettable tour of England.

In the second ODI, he had walked into bat when India needed 183 in 23 overs. But never during his stay, Dhoni tried to go for the shots. In the end, he was out after scoring 37 off 59 balls, as India were all out for just 236 while chasing 323.

In fact, his innings was so unusual that the crowd even booed him at one stage which was perhaps the first time the legendary cricketer got booed in his illustrious career.

Dhoni struggled in the third ODI too. Dhoni managed to score 42 but used up 66 deliveries for the same. India eventually managed a modest 256 for eight. In reply, England chased down the total with utmost ease to win the series.

Everybody had hoped that Dhoni would regain his form once he bats in friendly conditions during the just-concluded Asia Cup 2018. However, those hopes got brutally quashed by the former India skipper. He started the competition with a duck against Hong Kong. It was followed by knocks of 33, 8 and 36.

Overall, MSD has aggregated just 225 runs in ten ODI innings at a paltry average of 28.12 with the highest score of 42 not out.

But Anil Kumble has leapt in defence of the former India skipper. The former India head coach said that the team’s middle-order is still not settled as he refused to put the blame on Dhoni for India’s recent middle-order woes.

“The Indian middle-order still does not have a settled look and the team can’t keep depending on Mahendra Singh Dhoni to be the finisher. He should be left to enjoy the game and engage with younger players to finish games,” Kumble was quoted as saying by Sportstar.

Dhoni, meanwhile, will be looking to regain his form in the upcoming limited-overs series against West Indies.