So what can fans expect from a far more rejuvenated MS Dhoni, now that he has liberated himself from the captaincy burden? AGGRESSION. Perhaps the most important and vital aspect that makes Dhoni a world beater is his ability to demolish the bowlers at the death. He isn’t orthodox in doing so, but is highly effective.
With the saddle of captaincy on his back, Dhoni couldn’t escape with a poor outing and blame it alone on being aggressive. Now that he plays in the team purely as a wicketkeeper batsman, he can express himself freely without much of a fuss behind his back. As captain in 199 ODIs, Dhoni’s strike rate stands at 86.29. When you take away the captaincy role from him, that number goes up extraordinarily to 96.26. Another noteworthy aspect is that the batting rules were far stricter when Dhoni wasn’t the captain, that is from late 2004 to mid 2007.
The message is clear indeed. Without the added responsibility, Dhoni will be a destructive option for the Indians as he can explode as and when needed. Provided Dhoni finds his spark and freedom completely, India is bound to become a batting superpower.