3 Things That Dhoni Adds To The Indian Team

Mahendra Singh Dhoni - The man that transformed India from a fighting team to a winning team. But over the years, his ability with the bat to score big runs at crucial times is questioned over and over by his critics. He has failed to deliver when India desperately needed the old Dhoni. The vintage one.

Every innings he plays is scrutinized thoroughly as the fans feel that he is blocking the way of young Rishabh Pant who has an amazing talent to replace him before the all-important World Cup in England.

But Dhoni still remains to be an integral part of the Indian mainstay and Virat Kohli would want his experience and guidance in the upcoming mega event.

Here we have listed three points of what Dhoni brings to the team.

#3 Dhoni's keeping skills are second to none

Dhoni really started out as someone who could bat brilliantly but was a very average wicketkeeper for the long term. He was slightly better than a stopper but never likely to be a wicketkeeper for the long term.

However, in his own inimitable style, he has gone on to redefine the way you usually keep wickets. The time-honoured way of receiving the ball and then the hand moving forward is what coaching manuals tell you to follow. But Dhoni's own way has no give. Of course, he has great hands to pull this off, but he has also worked hard on it.

The results are there for everyone to see. He is one of the most effective keepers in world cricket and definitely the best ODI keeper at the moment. For someone who did not even start as a wicketkeeper, this demonstrates his enormous evolution as a player.

#2 Tendency to not throw his wicket away

There are not many instances of Dhoni throwing his wicket away when he should not have. He may get out at the wrong time, but he wouldn't throw away his wicket because he has just hit a six, and therefore wants to hit another one to feel good.

He never did things in the middle just for himself. That is against his basic nature. Yet, throughout his life, he pursued things that felt very good to him, like his love for bikes and dogs. However, he would never play a rash shot following a big shot, just because it felt good.

He has amazing control over his mind and has a remarkable ability to process the information in front of him in a way that is advantageous to him and his team. He has been remarkable.

#1 Leadership skills to support Virat Kohli

Dhoni and Kohli

Though Dhoni has relinquished his captaincy to Virat Kohli, he is seen actively supporting the captain with the field settings and other things. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was arguably one of the greatest leaders that the game of cricket has ever produced and it's only fair that he shares his knowledge and experience with Kohli. His acute awareness of the game situation and the ability to absorb the pressure makes him stand apart from the rest of the guys. In a mega event like the World Cup, Virat Kohli would want the advice and guidance of Dhoni.

No one and nothing can quantify the level of the workload this one cricketer has had over the years. No one will come close to doing what he has done for Indian Cricket. If he were to take off his shirt, Dhoni would probably have a Superman cape under it.