Dhoni, Stokes probably the two guys who have let RPS down: Sourav Ganguly

"There have been a couple of guys who have been playing well like Tripathi, Steve Smith is playing well, Manoj Tiwary has done well and Dhoni along with Stokes are probably the two guys who have let the Pune team down," Ganguly quoted.

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Sourav Ganguly
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KOLKATA, INDIA – 2016/06/16: Ex-Indian captain and CAB President Sourav Ganguly  (Photo by Saikat Paul/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has always been very vocal and direct about his opinions about the game. In the past few days, he has been in the news for his bold statements about the former Indian skipper MS Dhoni. Ganguly had opined that Dhoni is not the best suited for the shortest format of the game. He had doubted the credibility of the wicket-keeper batsman in the shortest format of the game.Recently, he reflected back at the match-winning knock played by Rising Pune Supergiant

Recently, MS Dhoni came up with a match-winning unbeaten knock against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He hit a belligerent 61 off 34 balls to guide RPS to their third win of the season. Sourav Ganguly reflected back at the same innings played by MSD. As per the quotes in India Today, he noted that it was a supreme knock by Dhoni under pressure. He lauded the team’s decision to promote Dhoni at number 4 in the batting lineup. Adding further, he wants MS to continue in the same way.

“It was a great knock typical Dhoni and that is why I keep on saying that he needs to bat at No.4, because when he gets to bat at No.4, like you saw that he was 10 off 13 deliveries yesterday but once he got in he just smashed those big sixes. It was a terrific knock yesterday and hopefully, he can continue for the Supergiant because they need him and the next two games will be very important for him. MS Dhoni is an automatic choice for India and he played superbly last night,” quoted Sourav Ganguly.

Elaborating his reactions about the RPS performances, Ganguly said that there was a stage when RPS were almost out of the season. But now, they are seeing themselves back in contention for the playoffs with 3 wins to their name. Sourav Ganguly stressed on the fact that MS needs to continue with the same form in the coming matches.

“At one stage we felt as if the game has gone away from the RPS team and their two wins back to back have actually brought them back in contention to qualify. You expect Dhoni to perform but you expect it to happen a lot more often. If you look at the last IPL there was one fifty (from MS Dhoni) for the Pune team and this season as well this is the first big knock he has played six games into the tournament,” he quoted.

He further noted that the team needs his services a lot. Dhoni has done well in the past and needs to stand up to his name. Ganguly remarked that the other players like Manoj Tiwary and Rahul Tripathi have contributed on a consistent basis. However, the big names like Dhoni and Ben Stokes have lacked consistency with the bat. He hopes that the big names contribute more often to the team’s cause.

“The Rising Pune Supergiant need him, when you have such quality players in the side and you are desperate to qualify and your back is to the walls then you need to perform. Dhoni has done well, he needs to back this up with a couple of big performances because there have been a couple of guys who have been playing well like Tripathi, Steve Smith is playing well, Manoj Tiwary has done well and Dhoni along with Stokes are probably the two guys who have let the Pune team down,” Ganguly conceded further.

However, talking about the pressure and impact that the team faces when someone like MS Dhoni fails to deliver, Ganguly said that the pressure is always on when it comes to the top bracket of cricketers. He lauded the way Dhoni stood up and took responsibility in the game against SRH.

“Yes he is pretty calm under pressure. The pressure is the same for most top cricketers, if Virat Kohli does not deliver for 3-4 games for RCB then they go down and same is the case for MS Dhoni. He is so important for the RPS team that he has to stand up and perform for them, he is an exceptional player and it was great to see him play the way he did (against Hyderabad),” he continued.

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