When it comes to winning World Cup, there are very few individuals as experienced as Ricky Ponting. The former Australia skipper won the World Cup three times, winning the last two as captain in 2003 and 2007. No surprises then that he just knows how to get the job done in the tournament. And he feels MS Dhoni will be crucial to India’s fortunes in England. While all the eyes are on skipper Virat Kohli, Ponting has said Dhoni will have to play a big role if India are eyeing the trophy.
Ponting’s comment has come just days after India lost the ODI series against Australia. Kohli’s captaincy in the last two ODIs left a lot to be desired as Australia won both the games to cap off a remarkable series that saw them win the five-match series 3-2 after losing the opening two games. Incidentally, India had rested Dhoni for the final two games.
In the fourth ODI when India were defending a mammoth total of 358, Kohli was seen fielding in the outfield while his bowlers struggled to contain the Aussies. Young wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was also having a tough time behind the stumps as Kohli was seen expressing his disappointment from the outfield. Usually, Dhoni has been seen marshalling the troops in those tight situations and Kohli missed him dearly in the game. India had eventually failed to defend the mammoth total.
In the fifth ODI, India missed Dhoni’s experience while chasing 273 in the series-decider. Unsurprisingly, Ponting feels having Dhoni is a huge plus for Kohli. Ponting also said that Dhoni brings a lot to the table with his batting skills too.
“It is a huge plus for Virat to have someone like MS Dhoni around for the World Cup. He brings in a lot of experience, a lot of knowledge about the game. He has been there before, been through the World Cups and was the captain of the World Cup-winning team,” Ricky Ponting told India Today.
“It is nice to have someone like that in your corner. But I think not as much for the captaincy side of the thing for Virat, the match-winning ability of Dhoni is somewhat overlooked to a certain degree. I think he always controls the middle of the innings with the bat, particularly during the run chases. I think he was the main reason (Dhoni not playing) why Australia were able to get back on the top during the last series,” Ponting added.
The World Cup will start on May 30. India, on the other hand, will start their campaign on June 5 against South Africa.