New Zealand won the second T20 by 40 runs to level the series 1-1 and set up an exciting series decider to be played on Tuesday in Thiruvananthapuram. The Kiwis came back stronger in the second T20 after a humiliating drubbing in the first T20. New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat first and expressed their intentions from the word go as they went after the bowlers. Colin Munro scored his second international T20 century as he scored a brilliant unbeaten 109 off 58 deliveries.
The Indian openers failed miserably after a memorable opening wicket partnership in the first T20I, as they both lost their wickets in the second over to Trent Boult who picked up a four-wicket haul in the second T20. Indian skipper Virat Kohli was the top scorer for the Indian team as he scored another T20 half-century. MS Dhoni also scored a 49 runs innings but was heavily criticized for his low strike rate throughout the innings.
MS Dhoni’s numbers in the match aren’t that bad, but the point of concern is not a number of runs he scored in the match but his ability to accelerate at the time when the team needs him the most. He seems to have lost his ability to come out and smash the bowlers all around the park. The big question mark here is that does MS Dhoni really deserve to be in the T20 team?
His skills in the One Day format are still good enough to win India matches as he has time to set his eye first and then go for the kill, but this isn’t the case in the shorter format. Many former cricketers have questioned Dhoni’s position in the team.
VVS Laxman in a pre-match show said:
“In T20s, MS Dhoni’s role is at No 4. He requires more time to get his eye in and then do the job. But (the match on) Saturday was a classical example because when Kohli was batting, Dhoni had to give strike to Kohli. Kohli’s strike rate was 160, MS Dhoni’s strike rate was 80. That’s not good enough when India were chasing a mammoth total, I still feel it’s time for MS Dhoni to give youngsters a chance in T20 format. It will be an opportunity for a youngster to blossom and get confidence playing international cricket. He is definitely an integral part of ODI cricket,”
Sourav Ganguly also had a say on Dhoni’s capability in the T20 format:
“I still feel it’s time for MS Dhoni to give youngsters a chance in T20 format. It will be an opportunity for a youngster to blossom and get confidence playing international cricket. He is definitely an integral part of ODI cricket.”