Former Australian batsman, Michael Hussy has come up front in support of MS Dhoni, saying he “wouldn’t be reading too much” into the Indian former Indian captain’s poor performance in England.
During his previous two outings during the ODI series, Dhoni managed to score only 37 and 42 at a strike rate of 62.71 and 63.63 respectively; the men in blue went to lose both the games, surrendering the ODI series to England 2-1.
Dhoni’s substandard performance not only led to recommendations that he was way past his performance, but it also generated a debate whether the time had come for the legend to retire. The right-handed batsman was booed by the crowd at the Lord’s during the second face-off.
However, Dhoni’s former team-mate and coach Hussy, of Chennai Super Kings team in the Indian Premier League, is having none of it.
“We know how Dhoni plays – he takes some time in the middle. It’s just two innings, come on!” Hussey was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
“He has got the power to catch up in the end. He plays according to the situation. I wouldn’t be reading too much into it. He has been a great player for such a long time and his experience will play a crucial role in the upcoming World Cup, especially, his ‘keeping skills and his power at the end of the innings. You should never write off a champion player,” he added.
At the same time, the veteran Aussie player also believes that in the upcoming Test series between England and India, heatwave will play a crucial role as it makes the pitches drier and more receptive to spin.
India is slated to face England for the first test match of the five-match rubber, scheduled to begin from August 1 at Edgbaston.