MS Dhoni has to bat up the order, he is no longer the player he used to be, says Mohammed Azharuddin

M S Dhoni’s captaincy and batting position continues to face criticism

Mohammed Azharuddin, former India captain, has joined the bandwagon of critics who think that Mahendra Singh Dhoni “is no longer the player he used to be" and has to bat up the order, if he wants to lead from the front.

"He (Dhoni) is the captain and there will be tremendous pressure on him. If he doesn't perform, selectors will have to think about him. He is not the player he used to be. Obviously to make an impact he has to come up the order. Once the dressing room finds captain doing what he is required to do, others will follow him," Azharuddin told PTI during an interaction on the sidelines of Delhi's Ranji Trophy match at Feroz Shah Kotla on Sunday.

India lost the first One Day International (ODI) in Kanpur against South Africa on Sunday by five runs despite Rohit Sharma scoring a swift 150 and Ajinkya Rahane's 60. The match had turned in India’s favour but Dhoni failed to finish off the match, resulting in massive criticism of the captain’s waning batting skills.

The term finisher is overrated: Mohammed Azharuddin

The veteran of 99 Tests and 334 ODIs was asked if he thought the reason India lost the match was because it lacks a quality finisher. Azharuddin felt that the term finisher was highly overrated.

"I don't understand what exactly does this word finisher means. Everyone needs to have match finishing skills. Do you mean you require 50 runs to win and someone batting on 70 plus should leave it on someone else? If you are at the crease then it's your duty to finish the game for India."

The cricketer-turned-politician was not flustered by the split captaincy issue either. "Look, once Dhoni leaves, Virat, who is your best player, would lead the side. Other countries have three captains because a lot of their players are not automatic choice in all formats. Virat is slated to lead in all formats. As far as pressure is concerned, there won't be any as this is his age to take pressure. If he doesn't do it now, when will he do it?"

The stylish Hyderabadi batsman who has brought laurels to the country was also quite flummoxed by the team management's decision to bench Ajinkya Rahane during the 0-2 Twenty20 series defeat against South Africa, considering him as a far better player than Ambati Rayudu.

The former captain questioned the decision to bench Rahane for the T20 matches

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with Ajinkya Rahane's technique or temperament. It was the most unfortunate thing that he had to sit out during the T20 series. When he was finally picked, it was too late as the series was lost. With due respect to Ambati Rayudu, Ajinkya is a far better player. How can you bench your best batsman after Virat Kohli?" Azharuddin wondered.

Azharuddin spoke about the oft-asked question regarding what exactly can count as aggression on the cricket field?’ He defined aggression as "scoring runs and taking wickets."

"What is that aggression which leads to Ishant not being able to play a Test match?" he enquired. Azharuddin feels that it will be very difficult to take 20 wickets against a side like South Africa, who do not lack firepower and are full of confidence after back-to-back wins. Even though these are home grounds, a lot will depend on conditions.

"It will be extremely difficult to get 20 wickets against South Africa with players like AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla. Lot will depend on nature of tracks whether it offers turn or is low and slow," he concluded.