Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram is of the opinion that MS Dhoni’s poor show with the bat was one of the reasons for India’s dismal performance in the Test series against England.
"His batting form is of great concern. In this series Dhoni repeatedly got out in the slips region. He may have got a couple of 70-plus scores in the third Test at Edgbaston, but what good are these runs when your opponent has amassed a 700-plus score?" said Akram.
Akram said Dhoni's body language was not motivating enough and the captain and coach need to communicate with the team more often to lift their morale.
"I feel Dhoni needs to be even more involved in the game.
New coach Duncan Fletcher is not a magician and will take time to settle down," he said.
"According to me, it seemed that no one had any idea in the Indian camp about what was going on. Dhoni did not look too involved with the on-field proceedings. I know this has been his style, but when your team is getting thrashed, 'Captain Cool' can't afford to freeze!"
"At times, you have to change your style to get the best out of your players. This result should be an eye-opener for Dhoni," added Akram.
In spite of the criticism, Akram backed Dhoni to bounce back in the ODIs against England.
"Our cricketing culture in the sub-continent doesn't support a losing captain, but here is where we need to back Dhoni. He can surely prove the critics wrong in the ODI series. While that will work to India's advantage, Dhoni can pick up his pieces as well," said Akram.
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