England Vs India 2018: Why Indian Batsmen Must Seek Inspiration From MS Dhoni

Watching India bat at Edgbaston was a somewhat coy affair, as barring the exception of Virat Kohli, none of the batsmen offered a fight. Well, individuals, who can now be termed as heavily experienced, were guilty of not pricing their wicket and merely throwing it away. In conditions as daunting as England, you need to have the audacity to battle it out amidst adversities. Well, this is what a confident MS Dhoni did the last time around.

Ever since Mahendra Singh Dhoni called time on his Test career, India’s wicketkeeping department has been in an utter mess. Wriddhiman Saha has been the side’s first-choice gloveman, but there have been at least three instances of him breaking down in the middle of a series.

In 2015 in Sri Lanka, Saha returned home midway with India into the second Test. The trend carried on in 2016 when the Bengal keeper got injured at Vizag against England and was ruled out for the remainder of the series.

So much so, the first Test against South Africa in 2018 too saw him getting injured, and he missed the last two Tests. Currently as well, while the side battles in the United Kindom (UK), he is out with a severe shoulder crisis.

This is how India miss Dhoni, as the former skipper was among the fittest cricketers of his era. To say that his batting prowess is missed, will be a colossal understatement.

NUMBERS CRUNCH:

Statistics clearly define Dhoni among an all-time great in the list of wicketkeepers. To average 38.09 as a genuine wicketkeeper-batsman, slotting in at number six or below is just phenomenal. Very few keepers across the globe can boast of such good statistics.

For India as well, the side struggled terribly till 2005, before Dhoni made his Test debut. And once he hung up his boots from the format in December 2014 as well. India’s weak link lies from the keeping front.

As opposed to Dhoni’s Test career average of 38.09, Indian wicketkeepers average 31.43 since the former’s retirement from the format. Averaging seven runs lesser per innings is quite a substantial tally in the long term. To add to that, while Dhoni had a 50+ score in Tests every 3.69 innings, since his retirement, that tally agonisingly goes up to 5.3 innings for every count more than 50.

MS DHONI MISSED OVERSEAS AS WELL:

India’s record overseas as a Test side was always under the scanner. However, one member who did well was none other than MS Dhoni. While his numbers outside Asia take a hit, Dhoni still averaged a decent 29.79, with 15 half-centuries to his name. His contemporaries though, namely Dinesh Karthik, Parthiv Patel and Saha average 23.14, nearly six runs lesser per innings.

Another pleasing aspect about Dhoni overseas is that he would make his start count in daunting conditions. With 15 scores more than 50, Dhoni had a 50-plus score to his tally in every 4.8 innings.

That stat looks utterly horrible since his retirement, as there has been just a single 50-plus score by an Indian wicketkeeper outside Asia, taking the ratio of the innings/50-plus score to 14. That knock was a ton by Saha, during the side’s tour of West Indies.

England vs India 2018: Team India players can take a leaf out of MS Dhoni’s book

During India’s previous tour of England in 2014, Dhoni was the side’s best batsman after Murali Vijay. Amassing 349 runs in 10 innings on that ill-fated tour, Dhoni battled all adversities to notch four half-centuries in utterly testing conditions.

But what stood out from Dhoni’s end on that tour was his ability to fight it out. The grit shown by the then Indian captain was exemplary. Despite not having the best of technique, the Jharkhand-based lad displayed sheer courage, patience and determination to accumulate the runs.

These qualities were missing from all Indian batsmen barring Virat Kohli at Birmingham. If India are to make a comeback in the series at Lord’s, the side will have to seek some inspiration from MS Dhoni’s performance of 2014.

Once the will to fight it out and patience is there to stay, this Indian side could achieve glory in England. Till then, however, it is going to be hard work.