India's 1983 World Cup-winning Captain Kapil Dev on Wednesday, 10th July, has come out with a valid point in defense of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has been facing criticism for his slow strike rate in the ongoing cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales.
So far in the showpiece event, Dhoni has managed 223 runs at an average of 44.6 with a strike-rate of 93.3. The veteran batsman has hit only one half-century so far in the tournament that left fans and experts disappointed as they expected more from him.
As per reports in Times of India, Kapil stated, “It's very unfair to criticize Dhoni. It has happened to those who have been rated as all-time greats. They are not going to be 20 all over again.”
He continued, “The most important thing is Dhoni is doing good as far as the team is concerned. He may not be meeting the expectations of the public. The biggest problem is we expect so much from our heroes. He is doing a fabulous job for the team and an integral member of the thinktank.”
While hailing Virat Kohli’s leadership in the World Cup 2019, the 60-year-old still believes that India needs Dhoni’s calm influence to go all the way in the showpiece event with an aggressive captain in charge.
Former India captain continued, “As we all know, he is different from Dhoni and very aggressive. Every captain is unique. He has done extremely well in the World Cup. With an aggressive Virat (Kohli) as a captain, it's ideal to have someone with a calming effect like him. His wicketkeeping is good, and as I said, he can't be as good as he was when he was 20 or 23.”
Meanwhile, the legendary all-rounder was also impressed by India’s pace attack in the tournament, adding: “Not just (Jasprit) Bumrah, (Mohammad) Shami has been excellent throughout the World Cup. A few years ago, no one expected Bumrah to reach this level. With a 10-yard run-up, it's not easy to clock 145kmph regularly. You need a lot of ability to generate speed. This guy is incredible.”
The great was also hailed team’s show in the prestigious event in England. He signed off by saying, “I feel proud of our team. Things have changed a lot in the last few years and we are a major force in world cricket. It's great to see a team which is athletic and doing well on the field.”
(With Times of India Inputs)
