England must execute plan well as Dhoni heads ‘home’

Dhoni hit four sixes in a losing cause in the first one-day international in Rajkot and followed up with an irresistible 72 that inspired his side to a series-levelling win in Kochi on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old whipped a near 70,000 crowd into a fervour in that match, clubbing two maximums and seven boundaries to change the momentum of the game in a thrilling stand with Ravindra Jadeja.

After performing similar heroics in the one-day series against Pakistan that preceded England’s return to India, Dhoni is clearly a man at the top of his game.

What better time, then, for him to lead out his country in the first international match to be staged in his home town of Ranchi tomorrow?

If the chaotic scenes that accompanied the team’s touchdown in the city, or the hundreds of fans who queued at the gates of the HEC Stadium to watch the hosts train, are anything to go by, the third one-day international promises to be quite an occasion for Dhoni.

But England fielding coach 
Richard Halsall has told the touring side not to expect Dhoni to wilt under the spotlight.

Asked if the buzz surrounding the game could load the pressure on Dhoni, Halsall said: “I don’t think he will feel it because the man does not seem to get unsettled.

“He just goes about his business. These boys thrive in the environment and it’s an amazing place to play cricket.

“International cricketers want to play in the first day of a Test at Lord’s, they want to play at the MCG in the Boxing Day Test, they want to play in World Cup finals or in front of 70,000 fans in Kerala.

“And they want to play in Ranchi because it will be absolutely jumping. I don’t think it will affect MS in any way.”

Captain Alastair Cook said after the last match that work would be done on England’s strategy for Dhoni, but Halsall believes there is only so much that can be achieved in the planning stage.

The rest is down to the heat of the moment, where England’s attack must find a way to match Dhoni’s notoriously cool head.

“We actually bowled very well to him during the powerplay overs; our plans to him are very clear,” said Halsall.

“But the more skill the batsman has, the more precise you have to be to execute your plans. That’s why he’s one of the best ‘death’ batsmen in the world.

“We have to be precise and we weren’t in the final 10 overs (in Kochi). We try to be as objective as possible and take the emotion out of it. India is an emotional place (for cricket), but we have to move forward, provide consistency and go back to our fundamentals.”