How MS Dhoni’s bat shape: Change in his bat dimensions has aided the Indian wicket-keeper batsman to find form lately.
There is no hiding to the fact that former India captain and current wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s recent form has came as a refreshing change for both the Indian team management and fans.
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Coming on the back of a worst year in ODIs (in terms of number of runs scored), Dhoni turned the tables this year. The advent of a new year saw a change in fortune for Dhoni, who scored three consecutive half-centuries to earn the Man of the Series award in the three-match series against Australia. In the six ODIs which Dhoni has played this year, he has scored 242 runs at an average of 121 and a strike rate of 79.86.
When a cricketer comes out of a lean patch, there are talks of him changing something in his technique or temperament. While there has been no such revelation regarding Dhoni, it is believed a change in bat dimensions has worked well for him.
Modification in bat helped Dhoni
“He has made the modification to suit his areas of strength and to counter the areas in which bowlers have been targeting him,” a source close to Dhoni’s management team was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
The source also disclosed that Dhoni has made this change since the Asia Cup last year. With the results regarding the same coming after four months speaks highly about Dhoni’s dismal 2018.
“Basically, it is more wood at the bottom and back of the bat. Earlier, it was mainly about the sweet spot. The basic idea is to have more wood behind the ball in your preferred shots. More wood at the bottom will help in elevation and generate more power.
“When your game is set, bowlers come up with a plan to counter and the batsman has to get a new plan. Or, it could be to play a particular shot better,” he added.
Players use bats depending on conditions
Well-known bat manufacturer BAS (Beat All Sports), who used to aid Dhoni with his bats before he signed up with Spartan Sports, further disclosed that batsmen change their bats with respect to different conditions.
“It differs from wicket to wicket, country to country. In India they use different bats, prefer heavier [bats] because the ball comes slower on the slow wickets; on faster wickets, they prefer lighter blades for better timing. Dhoni’s bat weighs around 1150gms,” BAS partner Ashwini Kohli said.
