Dhoni continues to inspire, says KL Rahul

Cuttack: There is no denying the fact that M.S. Dhoni is at the fag end of his career but opener K.L. Rahul said the former skipper is still a match-winner for India and continues to be an inspiration in the dressing room.

Promoted to the no. 4 position, Dhoni made an unbeaten 39 off 22 deliveries before effecting four dismissals behind the stumps to help India record a massive 93-run win over Sri Lanka in the first T20 international  on Wednesday.

Dhoni, thus, became the player with most dismissal in the shortest format of the game. With 201 dismissals in 272 matches, the former captain has become the second wicketkeeper after Kamran Akmal (207 in 211 matches) to complete 200 dismissals or more in T20Is. “I see him (Dhoni) as motivated in the dressing room as I always have. He’s somebody we look up to, he’s a match winner and he will always be one,” Rahul said.

“He is in great shape, and he almost killed me as soon as he came into bat,” he added with a smile referring to a brutal shot by Dhoni to get off the mark. After Rahul left the job unfinished getting out for 61, Dhoni played the finisher’s role to perfection with a 22-ball 39 not out with four boundaries and a six to lift India to 180/3.

The target was way too much for Sri Lanka as they slumped to their sixth consecutive T20 defeat in their 100th appearance in the shortest format of the game. “I don’t know what form you are talking about but every time I switch on the TV, or play with him in the dressing room, he always seems to get runs,” Rahul said strongly backing Dhoni.

Besides his good show with the bat, Dhoni also accounted for two catches and two stumpings to surpass South African great AB de Villiers in the record for most dismissals in T20Is.

In his last outing at the Barabati Stadium here, an ODI against England in January this year, Dhoni had smashed a 122 -ball 134 in India’s mammoth 381/6 en route to a 15-run victory. “The last time he was here he got a massive hundred. He’s been contributing really well in every game,” Rahul said.

Making a return after being dropped in the ODI series, Rahul top-scored for India to grab the opportunity in the absence of regular opener Shikhar Dhawan. “Every innings is important. With the the kind of competition in the team whatever opportunity you get you need to go out there and make it count,” the 25-year-old said.

Boasting of a century in all formats of international cricket, Rahul said it took him a while to realise he needed to stay true to his game to be successful. “It took me a long time to realise that I need to stay true to my game. I’ve been successful when I have kept things simple — playing cricketing shots that I’m blessed with or I am good at playing,” he said.