Former skipper MS Dhoni, who has led India to victory against Pakistan in their last five ICC events (2012 World T20, 2013 Champions Trophy, 2014 World T20, 2015 World Cup and 2016 World T20) has been a pale shadow of his past with the bat in recent
Stephen Fleming
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Former skipper MS Dhoni, who has led India to victory against Pakistan in their last five ICC events (2012 World T20, 2013 Champions Trophy, 2014 World T20, 2015 World Cup and 2016 World T20) has been a pale shadow of his past with the bat in recent times. Ever since the 2015 World Cup, Dhoni has scored 776 runs in 21 innings at an average of 38.80. His finisher tag has come under immense scrutiny lately.
However, former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming believes that India will need the experienced wicketkeeper-batsman to fire as Virat Kohli & Co. face arch-rivals Pakistan in their Champions Trophy opener today.
"India will want Dhoni's ability to win games. That's the reason he's in the team. He is one of the best finishers in the game. But spending more time in the middle, batting freely out there, will be the key to his performance," said Fleming, who has spent 10 seasons in the Indian Premier League working alongside Dhoni, first as player and then coach with Chennai Super Kings and also as coach of Rising Pune Supergiants. This will be the first time Dhoni will be featuring in an ICC event after quitting as ODI skipper.
But Fleming, who is on the expert panel of ESPNCricinfo's Match Day, said that Dhoni's inputs during the match will be paramount for Kohli. "Dhoni comes with loads of experience as skipper, so it depends on what advice the playing captain wants."
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