Xavier Doherty is forging a reputation as being the key to curbing India’s key batsman MS Dhoni’s destructive powers.
The left-arm spinner is wicketless through four games, but has compiled an impressive record against India’s renowned power hitter.
Dating back to their first encounter in February last year, Doherty bowled 107 consecutive deliveries to Dhoni before conceding a boundary.
He has also bowled 53 dot balls to one of the game’s premier ODI batsman and, despite failing to cash in with scalps, has done an admirable job drying the runs up in the middle overs.
With Mitchell Johnson looked at as Australia’s weapon against the middle order, stopping the dangerous Dhoni is one of the biggest factors in wrapping up a series victory in game six in Nagpur on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old laughed off the statistic against Dhoni, which ended when the Indian captain thrashed a four and a six off consecutive balls off him in Mohali.
“Stats can probably lie sometimes,” Doherty said.
“I haven’t bowled to him in the last five overs and I’m sure that stat would change if I did because that’s the way he goes about his innings.
“I guess that’s the role for me, through the middle of the innings, to try and tie down whoever is batting and stack as many dots up as I can.
“Hopefully the wickets come either at my end or the other end.
“Bowling to MS … he’s one of the real power hitters in world cricket. It’s a great challenge.
“I’d love to get his wicket at some stage in the next two games.”
Doherty’s economy rate of 5.63 doesn’t leap off the page, nor do his series figures of 0-169 but, on batsmen-friendly wickets, he’s done an excellent job, wicketkeeper Brad Haddin argues.
“He’s played his role outstanding,” Haddin told AAP.
“Obviously, traditionally, the Indians are very good players of spin and Doey’s tied that middle part of the game up.
“It has allowed us to attack at the other end with our quicks and probably be a bit more attacking and looking for wickets.
“He’s done his role outstanding and the quicks have been lucky enough to get the results at the other end.”
