Mumbai: Is Mahendra Singh Dhoni losing his cool? Team India ODI skipper has not been living up to his epithet (Captain Cool and ‘finisher’) of late. On Thursday, his collision with Bangladesh bowler Mustafizur Rahman did not hold him in good light though the cricketers shrugged it off with a smile.
But Dhoni’s performance suffered. It has been the same story for a while now. He has not been able to finish matches like before.
On the other hand, the accident backfired for India as Rahman came back stronger and cleaned up the Indian batsmen with a five-for.
During Indian Premier League (IPL), he himself confessed of eating up too many deliveries in the middle against Rajasthan Royals, as Chennai Super Kings failed to accelerate in the death overs, causing them to lose the tie.
Nonetheless, Dhoni – since his Test retirement – is failing to weave the magic and at times, losing his temper.
Going back to IPL, he was fined after his team’s loss to Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 1 for criticising umpire Richard Ilingworth’s leg-before decision that went against Dwayne Smith.
In the post-match conference, he said: “We got a horrible decision from the umpire which didn’t help.”
IPL 8: Mahendra Singh Dhoni fined for 'inappropriate public comment'
In the entire IPL in 2015, he scored only one half-century in 17 apperances at a strike rate of 121.96.
In the ICC World Cup, he finished a couple of matches for Team India but those were against West Indies and Zimbabwe.
Nonetheless, both Rahman and Dhoni were fined for their conduct.
However, it remains to be seen whether Dhoni can find his touch back. The temper may cool down automatically.
