Sourav Ganguly Defends MS Dhoni Over His Strike-Rate

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly has leapt in defence of under-fire MS Dhoni. The wicketkeeper-batsman has been facing criticism for quite some time now. 2018 was one of the worst year if not the worst of Dhoni’s otherwise stellar international career. He started 2019 on a good note with three back-to-back fifties in Australia and did well in the Indian Premier League too.

However, he once again made it to the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Dhoni faced the flak once again for his slow strike-rate against Afghanistan in the ongoing World Cup 2019. The veteran batsman had faced 52 balls against Afghanistan but managed just 28 as India ended up on a modest 224 for 8. Against West Indies too, Dhoni struggled to get going early on before shifting gears.

He eventually remained unbeaten on 56, helping India post a competitive 268 for 7. India went on to win the game by 125 runs to register their 5th win of the competition. Ganguly, however, has come out in defence of Dhoni and said that he wait before making any statement on his strike rate.

“It’s a one-off and I won’t look too much into it. Yes, MS Dhoni has been in the situation in the past, last year when he came to England, we saw the same struggle with spin,” Sourav Ganguly told Star Sports.

“He (Dhoni) needs someone to play with him, and if he bats with Virat Kohli at three, K L Rahul at 4 and he is at 5, or with the likes of Hardik Pandya, life becomes a lot easier for him because they keep hitting and he keeps rotating the strike.

“I would like to wait before passing a statement on how well he has played, especially his strike rate, because he has the ability to hit the boundaries and play differently. So, let’s not get into MS Dhoni so quickly in this competition yet, because his experience, the quality and the ability he has, he will definitely succeed,” Sourav Ganguly added.

India, meanwhile, have remained unbeaten in the World Cup so far. With 11 points from six games, they are pretty much in the last four. The Men in Blue are now gearing up to face hosts England for their next clash which will take place on June 30. A win against England will seal India’s place in the last four with two league games remaining.