Ind vs NZ: Time to look beyond Mahendra Singh Dhoni in T20s?

Looking in isolation, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 37-ball 49 at a strike rate of 132.43 in Saturday's second T20I against New Zealand in Rajkot was a typical T20 knock. However, the manner in which he made it, save for a few blows in the end, was painful.

While one cannot entirely blame Dhoni's struggle to put bat to ball for India's 40-run loss, the 36-year-old from Ranchi has put himself in a position where he is not indispensable anymore in Twenty20 cricket.

Former India stylish batsman and now TV pundit, VVS Laxman said post-match that India should groom a young wicketkeeper-batsman along with Dhoni in the One-dayers and look for a youngster in T20Is as Dhoni has nothing major to play for in the shortest format for the country.

The next ICC World T20 is in 2020, and it is highly unlikely that Dhoni will last at the international level till then. A youngster like the swashbuckling Rishabh Pant, of whom so much was being spoken about at around the same time last year, is of the few in the circuit.

Former India pacer Ajit Agarkar also was of Laxman's view.

"India need to look at other options in T20 cricket for sure. In one-day cricket, they seem to be happy with the role he (Dhoni) is playing. In T20 cricket, will India miss him? I don't think so. There is enough experience in the team apart from MS Dhoni," Agarkar told ESPNCricinfo.

While the position of Dhoni in India's limited-overs team has been a point of debate – he is not the batsman that he is known to, though his wicketkeeping reflexes have not deserted him yet – it is time India look beyond Dhoni for the T20 format.

India's second World Cup-winning captain is still a force to reckon with in One-day format. His immense experience, even taking over the field placements while captain Virat Kohli is manning the deep, is irreplaceable as the Indian think-tank look to finalise the squad that could bring nation the glory in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.

But, he is past his best in T20s.

Saturday's batting is not just the only example. He was often found in similar situations during the 2017 IPL for Rising Pune Supergiant. The biggest example was a painstaking 13-ball 10 in the final walking in when 59 were needed in 49 balls. And, RPS finished one run short of the title against Mumbai Indians.

On Saturday, Dhoni went in to join the free-striking Kohli in the 10th over at 67/4, with India needing 130 in 65 balls.

The nation's cricket fans were hoping for a dream Kohli-Dhoni show to pull off the improbable. The asking rate of 2-per-ball only kept soaring as Dhoni repeatedly took mighty heaves and rarely connected it cleanly. This mounted pressure on Kohli, who was not getting much of the strike and eventually lost his wicket in the need to accelerate.

For Dhoni to straightaway hit from ball one has now become a thing of the past. He has turned into a player who consumes some deliveries to settle in and then accelerate. But in T20 cricket, there is no time to get your eye in unless you are an opener.

For all that Dhoni has achieved in his glorious career, it is difficult to see him not put ball to bat like he is used to. The intention to score briskly is there, but not the execution.

Marking the long-on boundary and taking a big swipe at spinners Ish Sodhi or Mitchell Santner and only ending up edging it to his pad, if not missing the ball or managing just a single on the leg side, were signs of Dhoni on the wane in T20 cricket.

Of course, there were two such hits for sixes over long-on off Sodhi and another over mid-wicket off Trent Boult. But, there were as many 17 singles and 12 dot balls in Dhoni's 37-ball innings innings.

Kohli said at the post-match presentation that Dhoni "was very good at the end". The Indian team has always been a vociferous supporter of Dhoni and what he has done in the past.

However, it is the present and future that is more a concern, especially when Dhoni comes good once in 10 innings and not more frequently.