The finisher is not finished. Dhoni still has plenty to offer

Bengaluru, August 25: The future of Mahendra Singh Dhoni is easily one of the most debated topics in cricketing circles these days. The statement of chief selector MSK Prasad that Dhoni needs to score consistently to stake claim for a berth in the World Cup 2019 squad had a ripple effect.

But the Jharkhand man answered several queries on Thursday night (August 24) with a composed knock - an unbeaten 45 - that he is still not a spent force. His ability to finish a game has not jaded completley.

Dhoni and Bhuvneshwar Kumar joined at the crease when India were struggling at 131 for seven chasing 231 against Sri Lanka in the second one-dayer at Pallekele. The duo added a record 100 runs for the eighth wicket to take India home.

When you viusalise a Dhoni innings, the images of brutal hits will flood in. Though his 68-ball 45 contained only a single boundary, it had plenty of pragmatism. He read the situation perfectly, assessed the condition clearly and respected the Lankan bowlers who were on an almighty roll. The night had a familiar ending. Dhoni was the hero yet again.

Then there are a host of records too. Now, Dhoni has maximum unbeaten innings while chasing - 39, six more than long-retired Jonty Rhodes. The former India skipper also has the highest average during successful chases - 99.16, a little ahead of team-mate Virat Kohli (97.68) and way ahead of another master finisher Michael Bevan (86.25).

But there's a rider. Now, it's more or less certain that Dhoni will have to bat largely at No.5 or 6 in one-dayers in the current set up. They are tough spots to garner attractive runs unless there is a top order malfunction.

Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are certain to grab positions between one and four. The team think-tank has also placed KL Rahul ahead of Dhoni in the pecking order - a first choice for No.4. And on a day when Kohli slips into experimental mood - like he did on Thursday (August 24) - someone like Kedar Jadhav or Hardik Pandya could get a promotion and Dhoni will have to wait that much longer for his turn to wear pads.

But more often than not, India would have closed in on the target by then or would be impossibly away from it. So, chances for Dhoni to get the big runs or enact the Pallekele-like heroics could be few and far between in the run-up to the World Cup.

Here, the Indian team management should show a bit of maturity. They should be clear about Dhoni's role in this set up. A lowdown on Dhoni's game could reveal that he is still unrivalled on many counts. Admittedly, he may no longer be the hurricane force as a batsman that he once was. But he still has enough energy to give wings to an Indian innings, Pallekele being the latest example.

As a wicketkeeper, he is still quick behind the stumps and in Pallekele he equalled Kumar Sangakkara's world record for the highest number of stumpings in ODIs - 99. His reflexes, anticipation and street smartness are still very much intact.

More significantly, he has no real challengers too. Rishabh Pant? Yes, he's promising but at the best an understudy of Dhoni and not certainly a replacement at this stage. Then there are the likes of Parthiv Patel, Dinesh Karthik and Sanju Samson but none of them can offer a meaningful competition to Dhoni.

Dhoni is also one of the fittest members in this Indian team. He ticks that box comfortably at a stage when this team under Kohli has taken an irrevocable step towards being the fittest in the world by the time the World Cup arrives. If anything, Dhoni is well ahead of the schedule.

Then the experience of someone who has played 298 one-dayers cannot be undermined either. Dhoni is one of the greatest limited over players in the game's history - as a player and as a strategist - and his impeccable game sense could be a worthy addition to this Indian team full of vigorous youngsters.

Hopefully, the mandarins will take a call based on common sense.