Former Australian National Cricket Team skipper Michael Clarke is in awe of MS Dhoni’s outstanding show during the recently-culminated three-match One-day International series against Australia. He added Dhoni’s wealth of experience brings much to the game.
“He [Dhoni] is still unbelievable. There is an adjustment. He is more experienced now. And he knows his game better now,” Clarke told Sony Six, the broadcasting giant, following the Melbourne ODI.
‘Lamborghini to Aston Martin’ of Cricket:
In what could be termed as the unique comparison, Clarke remarked Dhoni has gone on to become ‘Aston Martin’ after being the ‘Lamborghini’. Clarke asserted it while lavishing praise on Dhoni, who has played a spectacular role for India’s 2-1 victory over hosts Australia.
“He [Dhoni] has gone from a Lamborghini to an Aston Martin,” Clarke stated.
Moreover, Dhoni also became one of the oldest cricketers from India–to bag the Man of the Series award in the 50-over format. It eventually helped visitors led by Virat Kohli to register their maiden ODI series in the bilateral competition in series Down Under.
It’s important to point out that Dhoni smashed three consecutive half-centuries. In addition, it saw his aggregate total of 193, in the 50-over format against Aaron Finch-led Australia.
Clarke in awe of Dhoni’s presence of mind:
While talking about Dhoni’s role in the middle, Clarke maintained the 37-year-old star had backed his partners which yielded the desired results for the Team India.
“He acknowledges his partner at the other end more now. When MS Dhoni started, he didn’t need a partner irrelevant of whether his partner got a duck, scored a fifty or a century if they needed 50 off 20 balls, the partner’s job was to get MS Dhoni on strike,” Clarke said.
Interestingly, in the third and final ODI at Melbourne, Dhoni gave the strike to his partner Kedar Jadhav (61*) to allow him to finish things off in style. Both stitched an unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership of 121 runs–to overhaul the target of 231 in 49.2 overs.
By this, Clarke is impressed by this gesture from the senior campaigner of Team India.
“Now, he knows how important it is for his partner to be able to find that boundary and lead up to MS Dhoni pressing gold. He’s had that in the last two games,” Clarke maintained.
Earlier, Dhoni was panned for his 96-ball 51-run knock as India lost the game by 34 runs in Sydney. However, Dhoni regained the lost touch by smashing unbeaten 55 off 54 deliveries at Adelaide. He settled with 114-ball 87 not out at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Clarke stated Dhoni plays a vital role for Kohli at the helm:
Veteran batsman Clarke added Dhoni role is slightly different what it appeared to be when he was leading the team. Clarke added Dhoni’s contribution for Kohli is similar to what Ricky Ponting offered to him during their heydays.
“I think MS Dhoni’s role in this team is just as big when he was captain of India. It’s just a little different now. It’s no different from Ricky Ponting,” Clarke added.
Clarke further heaped praise on Ponting’s work ethic in the top-flight cricket.
“When he stood down as the captain, we all wanted Ricky Ponting to stay around the group because his leadership, his talks about training, his experience helped the team so much and my leadership,” Clarke added.
Dhoni to serve as a key for India in the 2019 ICC World Cup:
While dissecting the game alongside Robin Uthappa, Clarke categorically mentioned that MSD is the vital cog in the wheel for India in the upcoming quadrennial event. It is scheduled to kick off on May 30 in England.
“It’s a great sign for India cricket. Robin and I were talking about MS Dhoni’s leadership skills. And how it helps Virat Kohli out and how important it’s going to be at the World Cup,” Clarke concluded
The poor show in the limited-overs competition in 2018 saw him scoring just 275 runs in 20 games. However, Dhoni has turned back the clock—to set India’s hopes high for 2019.