India benefitted from MS Dhoni's experience to finish the games: Jason Gillespie

Virat Kohli slammed a short of a length delivery from Jhye Richardson straight to the deep mid-wicket fielder and there was a sense of belief in the Australian camp once again. They still had 57 runs in the bank. But India had MS Dhoni, the set MS Dhoni, in the middle who soaked in all the pressure, ran hard and eventually won the game for them. Jason Gillespie has lauded the veteran’s experience and ability to finish the matches and felt that the Men in Blue have been benefitting from it for over a decade now.

Dhoni was at the centre of criticism after his 96-ball 51-run knock in the first ODI in Sydney. But he came in to bat 4/3 in the fifth over of the chase and had to play the situation at that point in time. The experienced batsman shifted gears and played at a perfect pace in the must-win game as the situation was better for the visitors when he came in to bat.

Gillespie highlights Dhoni’s importance

Jason Gillespie also voiced his support for MS Dhoni and felt that he only played the situation in the series opener and there was no point criticising him. “India have benefitted from Dhoni’s finishing ability for more than a decade. They are still benefitting from it. They benefitted from his experience when they were down at 4/3 in Sydney as well. He was a bit slow in Sydney, but you have to understand why. He played the situation,” he was quoted as saying by India Today.

Gillespie also sympathised with the 37-year-old saying that it is not easy to come down the order throughout the career and achieve what MS Dhoni has done.

“And it is tough to keep coming down the order and playing as per different situations. In Adelaide, he had a completely different situation, so he played differently (in the second ODI). He has played over 300 ODIs so he knows how to play these different situations,” the former Australian cricketer further added.

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