RANCHI: Rediscovering himself in the twilight of his career, a rejuvenated Mahendra Singh Dhoni would look to continue his form and aim for a series-clinching win when India take on New Zealand in the fourth ODI, here on Wednesday.

A batsman, wicketkeeper, and a cool-headed skipper, all rolled into one, Dhoni promoted himself to No.4 in the last ODI in Mohali and set up the seven-wicket win in the company of Virat Kohli to give the hosts a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Dhoni’s 91-ball 80 in Mohali also took him to the club of 9,000 runs. He became the first to reach there with an average of 50 or more.

India’s limited-overs captain and the local boy may be seen in his last appearance at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium Complex here which has hosted three ODIs and one T20I, with India winning all of them except for a rain-marred one-dayer.

Back home where it all began for Dhoni, it will be an emotional match for the Indian skipper, who has won every ICC trophy and he would look to make the outing a memorable one.

Dhoni’s return to form would be a dangerous signal for the Kiwis, who are desperate to prove a point after their 0-3 whitewash in the Test series. Despite opting to rest their three premier bowlers in the Tests — Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami and Ravindra Jadeja keeping in view the gruelling home season ahead — India have fared reasonably well in the bowling department.

The biggest surprise has been part-time offspinner Kedar Jadhav, who has taken six wickets at less than eight runs an over, and is joint second in the wicket-takers’ list behind legspinner Amit Mishra.

On the other hand, it is a must-win match for New Zealand to keep their hopes alive in the series and for that to happen their batsmen need to fire in unison. Barring Tom Latham and captain Kane Williamson, no other Kiwi batsmen has been among the runs.

Senior pros Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor are enduring a forgettable series with the bat and it’s high time the duo fires for New Zealand. The contribution from the lower-order has been a positive aspect for the visitors though.

In the last ODI in Mohali, the Black Caps revived their innings with a lower-order surge between James Neesham (57) and Matt Henry (39 not out) in an 84-run record ninth wicket stand to take their total to 285.

In the remaining two games, Williamson would be hoping that his top-order lays the foundation for the lower-order to fire on flat Indian tracks, which are full of runs.

Published in Dawn October 26th, 2016