Mahendra Singh Dhoni carries several bats in his kitbag, each with a double grip that he rolls up and adjusts before stepping into the nets to hear the sound of the ball hitting the middle of his willow.

But it has been quite a while since the Indian captain has shown his flashy side, and with every passing match — even in this slam-bang T20 format — his new tendency to play controlled knocks rather than pulverising the bowling attack is becoming slightly worrying for a country getting ready to defend the World T20 title in two months’ time. Team India have enjoyed a long period of success under Dhoni’s leadership, and if every success comes at a price, then experts are now starting to wonder if this run has come at the cost of Dhoni’s desire to beat the stuffing out of the ball.

After he took over the Indian captaincy, Dhoni slowly started to mellow as a batsman, choosing to play more responsibly, content with a holding role in the line-up. Even though he has sometimes come up the batting order, he is happy to let his other illustrious hitters in the team take centre-stage.

“If I go in at number three to hit the ball, then someone else has to come at number six. As a captain, I have to see if the other guy is capable of doing the job at number six. I know I can hit the ball well, but you have to see the overall strength of the team. As a skipper, I am happy to play in a position that helps the team the most,” he says.

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