India off-spinner R Ashwin said MS Dhoni’s finishing skills have been as important as his captaincy to Chennai Super Kings’ in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the years. Ashwin said there is plenty said about Dhoni’s captaincy but his ability to finish games in crunch situations has taken a back seat.
Ashwin’s comments came as he was discussing the options for finishers at the upcoming IPL 2022 auction, scheduled for February 12 and 13, adding that there are very few who have been consistently getting the job done with the bat lower down the order.
MS Dhoni has been one of the most successful captains in the IPL, leading Chennai Super Kings to 4 titles, including their victorious campaign in the last season, Over the years, Dhoni has marshalled the troops in yellow wonderfully well, making them the most consistent side in the history of the IPL.
With the bat, Dhoni has scored 4746 runs in 193 matches at a strike rate of over 130 despite the dip in form over the last two seasons.
Dhoni’s calm and collective approach has worked wonders for CSK but Ashwin said Dhoni’s ability to play those match-winning knocks under pressure has made a big difference to the morale of the team on multiple occasions in the past.
Notably, Ashwin was part of the successful CSK set-up until the 2015 season before he went on to play for Rising Pune Supergiant, Punjab Kings and the Delhi Capitals.
“Today, people are raving about CSK and their success. A lot is being said about Dhoni’s captaincy. However, apart from his captaincy, there is a skill that has taken a back seat over the years, that is not being spoken much about. We always talk about his captaincy, his Midas touch, but his finishing ability with the bat is not spoken about much,” Ashwin said in a show on his YouTube channel.
“In a situation where 60 is needed off 20 balls, he goes to the middle and smashes a couple of sixes and a couple of boundaries. He brings down the equation to l5 from the last over. We have seen this quite a few times in this past.
“CSK loses that game, the campaign would stutter. I have seen such scenarios.
“In such games, we have seen Dhoni finishing in the last over, that is an inspiration. That lifts the team morale up. Suddenly from the lower half of the table, CSK would have 10 points from 10 games. That will help transform their campaign.”
Ashwin also said Mumbai Indians highly rate Kieron Pollard’s finishing skills and that is why they never miss an opportunity to retain the West Indies limited-overs captain. Pollard was retained by MI for Rs 6 crore ahead of the mega auction.
“That’s why these finishers are important, that’s why Mumbai Indians never let go off Kieron Pollard. He has closed so many games for MI. Andre Russell is also another such player,” he added.