Gambhir slams Dhoni’s critics ahead of clash

MS Dhoni’s indifferent batting form in the IPL had raised concerns whether the former India captain still had the ability to provide momentum at the finish for Rising Pune Supergiant.

His struggles in the initial matches for RPS led to former India skipper Sourav Ganguly doubting his T20 credentials. However, his match-winning, unbeaten 61 against defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Saturday won him many accolades.

GAMBHIR ON CRITICS

Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir not just praised Dhoni on the eve of Wednesday’s clash against RPS, he also blasted critics who wrote off champions on the basis of a few bad performances.

“There is no one like a finisher or a starter. Ultimately, the one who scores the winning run is a finisher, irrespective of whether he’s an opening batsman or No 11. What matters is how much you are contributing. If you can win matches for your team, you are a finisher,” Gambhir said.

DHONI STRUGGLES V MI

After his whirlwind knock on Saturday, Dhoni again found the going tough, eating up 10 balls for his seven runs on Monday against Mumbai Indians on the slow Wankhede Stadium pitch. “Here (in India), we start criticising if someone has one or two bad matches. He (Dhoni) is a quality player and we all know what he has done for India and the IPL. It is an important game, and rather than thinking what he can do, I think what KKR will do is all that matters,” added Gambhir, who played crucial knocks under Dhoni’s captaincy in the finals of the 2007 World Twenty20 and the 2011 World Cup.

The KKR skipper is wary of the threat Rising Pune Supergiant pose as there is no one dominating player in Steven Smith’s side.

“That is very good for the team because if everyone is contributing, it is a great sign for any team. And that is what we want in KKR as well. We don’t want to be dependent on one or two people; we want to be dependent on everyone. If everyone starts performing, starts chipping in, there will be players who would end up getting one or two important wickets.”