Commentator-cum-analyst Sanjay Manjrekar has shared his opinions about players and matches over the years. Some of his opinions have been welcomed while others have faced the backlash. Manjrekar, in a recent column for The Times of India, opined on the captaincy of MS Dhoni.
All eyes were on MS Dhoni in the IPL 2020 opener as he came out to the middle for the first time since 2019 World Cup. But to much surprise, Dhoni, demoted himself down the order to promote all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran for a successful chase against defending champions Mumbai Indians.
Manjrekar believes that throughout IPL 2020, Dhoni ‘the batsman’, can take a backseat to guide the fortune for his team. He also added that the promotion of Curran and Jadeja were the early signs of such thing to come.
“I watched Dhoni as captain in that first game where Chennai lost five wickets and Dhoni ended up zero not out after facing just two balls. While more evidence is certainly needed, people should not be surprised if they see Dhoni the batsman take a back seat to allow Dhoni the captain to guide the team’s fortunes,” Manjrekar wrote in his column for The Times of India on Tuesday.
“Picking Sam Curran, (Lungi) Ngidi in the eleven and then promoting Curran and (Ravindra) Jadeja up the order to make a winning difference are all early signs of this. With a win against Mumbai, who have been their nemesis, Chennai start as clear favourites against Rajasthan,” he added.
Dhoni understands the game well. He knew the strength of the side and backs his players accordingly. He did not takes any kind of frivolous decisions and likes to maintain his calm. It is due to these qualities Dhoni came up as one of the most calm and composed character on the cricket field.
All the success had made him one of the most influential person on the cricketing circuit but he was not the same when he was first introduced to the national team. Besides that, MS Dhoni has also been the go-to man for his teammates whenever he was on the field.