Revelling in crisis in different styles

As India look to sort out their batting order in the series against New Zealand, Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni joined forces on Sunday to structure a fine chase. At No 3 and No 4, they lent spine to the fragile middle-order, and brought to focus their sublime skills as two of world’s most intelligent finishers under pressure.

The two batsmen, with an age gap of eight years between them, and as separate as chalk and cheese in temperament and batting styles, have found themselves united in purpose and understanding of cricket.

If Dhoni, the power-hitter and astute wicket-keeper captain, has been defined by his street-smart style of game, Kohli has traversed a journey from being a talented, brash cricketer to a humble batting genius. Both revel in crisis, the captaincy bringing out the finer aspects of their personalities.

If Kohli the batsman is fast moving towards ascendancy in all formats, Dhoni is in the process of rediscovering the batsman in him towards the fag end of his career. After modelling his batting in the past years to the demands of the team, Dhoni, at 35 and having retired from Test cricket, wants a bit of space for himself.

His desire to bat at No 4 positon is no longer a secret. On Sunday, when the situation arose, Dhoni made a strong statement. The presence of Kohli provided the cushion he needed, with the Delhi man stepping back to allow Dhoni to attack.

In fact, Kohli’s 26th ODI century came so stealthily that one came to grips with it only when he reached the milestone. But it was a solid knock nurtured by an acute sense of responsibility and ability to think ahead of his opponents.

 “In, the past I have tried to play out of my skin, getting overexcited, but I've realised if I can time the ball, and hit the gaps and run hard, I can still get runs. I know teams want to get me out immediately, so I take my time, go with the flow and then attack at the end. For that you need to play percentage cricket and it was good to have MS up the order," said Kohli whose unbeaten 154 had 16 boundaries and only one six, that too towards the end of Indian chase.

In fact, statistics do point out that Dhoni, who has played three innings in the last one year at No 4, holds the best batting average of 32.66 at that position. And Dhoni was candid on Sunday in stating he needed more time in the middle, besides expressing his desire to bat with Kohli.

 “The problem is I'm not playing Test cricket anymore. The last one and a half years, our top order has been brilliant which means I wasn't getting the kind of batting that's important for me to be fluent in rotation of strike. It was a requirement very important not only for my cricket because I'm successful at No 4, it also gives the team a bit of a liberty because I try to score at a decent pace,” he said.

 “It also gives me a chance to bat with Virat, we run between the wickets very well, we can take on the opposition fielder, even the best ones. It really helps to build partnerships. This batting is something that's more of my need rather than the team need. I still feel there are others who can bat at No 4 in the team. The problem is: is there anybody who can bat at No 5, 6, 7? Only time will tell.”

Kohli at No 3 and Dhoni at No 4 seem like a perfect foil for each other. It’s a combination that India need to invest in. For now, one can enjoy in this unique batting combination of India’s two captains.