300th ODI beckons, Dhoni dreams of World Cup high
Former skipper may not be his old self but is adjusting well with an eye on 2019 Cup
Rohit Sharma played the prank, encouraging a local fan of MS Dhoni to walk into the nets at the Premadasa Stadium on Tuesday morning and click a selfie with the former skipper.
There was hesitation, Dhoni in disbelief as the man was allowed to enter the net, and the man – said to be a stadium employee – for a second realising what he had done.
It was more a throwback to the amateur era, than present day sports teams that are surrounded by so many minders.
In the end, Dhoni granted the man his wish. Even before the team’s security official and those detailed to guard the team realised what was happening, the team’s media manager rushed in and the man was escorted out.
Dhoni has had the knack of deflecting focus down the years, but even he would have felt the heat in Sri Lanka. He would be satisfied as he gears up to play his 300th ODI on Thursday.
It would be apt if it was a big game rather than the inconsequential fourth ODI, after India wrapped up the series by winning the first three against a reeling Sri Lanka.
MAJOR ROLE
Dhoni can have a quiet laugh, having played a major role in the previous two victories that have left India free to experiment with the squad.
Rohit, who played the prank, found the man who got him to open and transformed his ODI fortunes, stay on at the other end in Sunday’s win at Pallekele. In the earlier game, Dhoni was at hand to nurture Bhuvneshwar Kumar, letting him even take more of the strike after another Indian batting collapse.
Dhoni has not missed a single training session on this tour. Carrying his kit bag with two bats jutting out from either side, he has been a fixture at every training session.
Chief selector MSK Prasad suggested going into the ODI series that Dhoni, who will be 38 when the 2019 World Cup comes around, is no guarantee for the event in England unless he stays fit and keeps performing.
His unbeaten knocks of 45 and 67 didn’t have the old Dhoni stamp of hammering the bowlers, but a reminder that he was ready to reinvent himself.
Sri Lanka are nowhere near their best, but Dhoni drew upon his experience to ensure there was no panic despite the quick loss of wickets in the second and third ODIs in Pallekele.
Prasad’s comments drew criticism, but the chief selector has now praised Dhoni for how he fought serious back trouble to play against Pakistan in last year’s T20 Asia Cup and contribute to the five-wicket win.
Dhoni will become the fourth Indian to hit the ODI 300. Sachin Tendulkar (463), Rahul Dravid (344), Mohammad Azharuddin (334), Sourav Ganguly (311) and Yuvraj Singh (304) have done that. But he is focused on the road to achieve a treble, another World Cup win to go with the 2007 T20 and 2011 50-over titles as skipper.