Shikhar Dhawan on MS Dhoni finding form: The Indian opening batsman considered Dhoni’s form as ‘important’ for the team.
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Former India captain and current wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni scoring a couple of half-centuries in as many outings during the ongoing ODI series against Australia has gone down as a pleasant sign for the Indian players.
In two matches, Dhoni has scored 106 runs at an average of 106 and a strike rate of 70.66. While Dhoni and the Indian would be wanting the strike rate to go up, watching him back among the runs is a development in the right direction. The fact that his last half-century before this series had come against Sri Lanka at Dharamsala 13 months ago calls for enough respite among his teammates.
ALSO READ: Virat Kohli claims MS Dhoni’s form to be relaxing for the team.
Speaking during the press conference ahead of the third ODI at Melbourne, opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan realized the importance of the match for it gives India a chance to register their first bilateral series win against Australia in Australia.
.@ICC takes up the #10YearChallenge, shares pictures of MS Dhoni, ICC rankingshttps://t.co/M22o2gXJyk pic.twitter.com/qo5JZTzZG3
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) January 17, 2019
Dhoenix rises again ! Don’t target Dhoni. बात ख़त्म ।
— Anjana Om Kashyap (@anjanaomkashyap) January 15, 2019
“It will be a big final tomorrow. It is going to be an interesting game for both the teams. We are looking forward to an exciting game tomorrow. It [the victory] will mean a lot to us. It is always good to come here and win. If we win tomorrow, it will be a big achievement for us. Of course, we are going to value it and cherish it,” Dhawan was quoted as saying.
Being asked about the wicket-keeper batsman-duo of Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik, Dhawan was wax lyrical about the pair after their unbeaten 57-runs match-winning partnership at Adelaide. Talking about Dhoni, Dhawan said that an in-form Dhoni gives a lot of confidence to the other batsmen.
A Cup of Tea makes everything better! ☕ @msdhoni @SDhawan25 pic.twitter.com/ew4NYx2gta
— IamKedar (@JadhavKedar) January 13, 2019
Ages of India’s batting Top Seven in the Sydney ODI:
Rohit Sharma – 31
Shikhar Dhawan – 33
Virat Kohli – 30
Ambati Rayudu – 33
MS Dhoni – 37
Dinesh Karthik – 33
Ravindra Jadeja – 30This is the 1st time India has fielded a Top Seven ageing 30 and more in an ODI. #AUSvIND
— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) January 12, 2019
“It was great to see a good team performance in the last one day match against Australia. The way Dhoni bhai played in both the games is really great. I am very happy that he is getting his touch back.
“A player of his stature, who plays the game with so much calmness, gives so much confidence to other batsmen. It is very important for us,” he said.
ALSO READ: Dinesh Karthik talks about MS Dhoni ‘biggest strength’ while batting.
Dhawan added that Karthik’s form down the order makes a ‘fit and mature’ Indian batting line-up. “Even Dinesh played a very good knock in the last game. So, the good thing is that we got all fit and mature players which make us a strong batting unit.
“We have been consistent in our performance over the past few years and hopefully, we will continue performing well in coming years,” Dhawan added.
