Mastered in the Art of Finishing

Michael Bevan, Michael Hussey, Yuvraj Singh, Lance Klusener, MS Dhoni. Having a gaze at this list, one can easily comprehend the job at which they are at very best. Starting slowly, building the innings with minimum amount of risk and then ending up in their own style is the common algorithm what they follow.

The best finisher in the game has to know when to take the risk and when to minimize it. You must have the ability to rotate the strike and play the shots as well. You have to know how to absorb pressure in tight situations.

The extraordinary exploits of India's 'Captain Clobber' M.S.Dhoni with the bat in ODI cricket of late has raised the debate about whether he is indeed the best finisher in the game’s history. Watching Mahendra Singh Dhoni bat in a chase is a learning experience — the way he builds an innings; the way he calms the nerves of the other batsmen; the way he makes them contribute; the way he gives the opposition no chance at all. The template of his innings is normally a slow start as he settles in, lots of singles and then he builds to a crescendo.

Dhoni always has a lot of scoring options. He knows how to rotate the strike and at the same time is capable of hitting the big shots. He is very flexible in his approach and can stay calm at pressure situations. As soon as he entered the scene the calculator in his head starts working, the compass directed him to gaps, and his strong legs starts charging couples to complement the odd boundary in-between.

Starting his career as an unrefined slogger, he slowly transcended his batting style to being more responsible. This was a mature decision on his part and more responsible in keeping with his status as the skipper. You do not really see the rocket shots from his blade and super pacy innings these days. His 183* against srilanka, 148 against Pakistan were brilliant examples of what we call ‘Ball Bashing’. Completely agree that he cannot bat like the way he ravaged many oppositions in the yesteryears, since he is the anchor of the team. The Avatar of a slow and steady finisher suits him well. Picking the gaps, running hard and knowing the right moment - and place - to hit a boundary were the hallmarks of his success. It is this style of his game that made his name among the very best finishers in the ODI format. The Crowning Jewel in his ‘Taj’, the 91* in the World Cup 2011 final was reached in the same style.

It is becoming a hallmark for Indian cricket team, Dhoni using his unorthodox batting style with great effect and winning matches. It is becoming a regular scene, a helicopter shot, a wry smile, often suggesting – do not mess with me, I am a cool customer. He sometimes tends to be stuck in a rut and comes up with disasters occasionally. Well, you might say it is because he is the skipper and has to be responsible but in being responsible, he tends to go into a shell and misses scoring opportunities. There is one of those off days that he needs to be careful about where he messes up his reputation as a finisher. 

Many are dragging comparisons with Michael Bevan. No doubt, he plays crucial part in Australian team one-day outfit for a decade, especially when orchestrating calm chases in crises that often ended in last-over or last-ball heroics. However, Bevan and Dhoni have not played in the same era, which makes the comparison even difficult. I would say Greg Chappell’s grandma was a better batswoman than SRT. The point here is how can you compare batsman or for that matter cricketers from different eras? Different equipment, different playing conditions, different rules etc.

As of now, he is serving the team India with his uncanny ability to finish off the game with a flourish. Let us see if he ends up his career keeping his name at the top of the chart.