MS Dhoni looked a different player in Adelaide, reckons Sachin Tendulkar

Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar saw a difference in MS Dhoni with the way he batted in the 2nd ODI of the series in Australia. To him, Dhoni looked like a changed player during his match-winning knock. After a forgettable 2018 as far as his batting in international cricket was concerned the wicketkeeper-batsman has hit two back to back half centuries in the ongoing series and the second was in a match-winning cause.

Regarded as arguably the best finisher the game has ever seen, Dhoni looked a pale shadow of his usual self in 2018. In fact, he was even booed during the ODI series in England for his uncharacteristically slow knock. He failed to impress in the Asia Cup and the home series against Windies too before the selectors dropped him for the T20I series against Windies and Australia.

Unlike 2018, this year started on a promising note for the veteran batsman. In the first ODI of the ongoing series against Australia, he struck 51 although he faced criticism for using 96 deliveries. However, it took Dhoni just a couple of more days to prove his detractors wrong.

The former India skipper came produced a stunning fifty in the second ODI with better composure, game awareness and more importantly was in a winning cause as he helped India level the series 1-1. He came out to bat when the team needed 139 off 118 balls and hit the ground running right from the word go. The 37-year old shared fifty-plus stands with skipper Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik to take the team home. Dhoni remained unbeaten on 55 and also hit a six in the final over to show he still has his mojo.

Tendulkar’s verdict:

Sachin Tendulkar also joined the bandwagon and heaped praise on his former teammate and said that the wicketkeeper-batsman can control games for India from one end.

“Yesterday’s (Tuesday) contribution was good. In the first match, I felt he was a little rusty, he was not being able to hit the ball where he wanted to and that can happen to anyone. He walked out in the second match thinking differently and from ball one, he looked a different player,” Tendulkar said on his app 100MB.

“He (Dhoni) is someone who loves to play a few dot balls, understand the wicket, how the bowlers are bowling and likes to take the game till the end. That is exactly what he did. He is someone who is going to control the game from one end,” added the all-time highest run-getter in international cricket.

The three-match series, meanwhile, will be decided on January 18 when both the teams lock horns in the third and final ODI.

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