Dhoni will be half the Indian team

MS Dhoni would be 'half the Indian team,' in the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, feels former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar. Speaking during a function in Mumbai, Manjrekar showered glowing praise on Dhoni, who recently quit Tests.

"Dhoni is a very unique character. I don't think he is concerned with the history of cricket. If you ask him about who the previous four, five India captains were, he wouldn't know. But, he has a very rare temperament, both as a captain and as a player. In fact, I think he would be half the Indian team in the World Cup," Manjrekar said while talking about what Dhoni's new avatar could be post his Test retirement.

Comparing the team which last played in a World Cup Down Under, back in 1992, of which he too was a member, to the present side, Manjrekar felt the current lot scored far more marks when it came to fielding and running between the wickets. "Two greatest areas of improvement in Indian cricket have been running between the wickets and fielding.They are much better runners between wickets. We couldn't convert twos into threes. Run out was the common mode of dismissal in the 90s and I was the flag-bearer of that," he said, inviting instant laughter from the audience.

"There is a lot of youth in this team. Players like Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are very good fielders," he added.

He then elaborated on what he thought was the weakness of this Indian team, which is still felt was a top favourite to win the World Cup. "The Achilles heel of India will be their death bowling. I think India can lose an important night purely on the way they bowl in the slog overs. For that, the onus is on the spinners in the middle stages to get wickets in the middle overs and lessen the pressure on the death bowlers," he said.

Virat Kohli and Steve Smith may have stolen the thunder in the Test series with their captaincy and exceptional batting, but Manjrekar still felt that they alone won't guide their team's fortunes in the World Cup "Both were brilliant, and a treat to watch in the Test series. However, for India, Virat will be the second in command, and play a key role in the chase. Even for the Aussies, David Warner is a more dangerous player than Smith," he said.