MS Dhoni may have a hit a bad patch this season but former Australian captain Ricky Pointing trusts him to bounce back. Ponting said that while Dhoni may be looking out of form in the IPL, he will be integral to India's title defence in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. (Results | Fixtures | Points Table) "It’s a downside of having the great success that he’s had over a long period of time," Ponting is quoted as saying by cricket.com.au, "I’ve been there myself and when you start to slide just a little bit, criticism is going to come your way." Dhoni had scored just 61 runs in the first five matches for the Rising Pune Supergiant in the IPL. He bounced back by smashing an unbeaten 34-ball 61, to lift his side to a last-ball win over holders Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, he has scored just scored just 30 runs in the two matches since. "And to be fair, he probably hasn’t had much negativity come his way over the past 15 or 20 years. So, it’ll be really interesting to see how he handles that over the coming weeks," Ponting says. He then said that it will be a mistake to write Dhoni off. "Things can turn around in this game pretty quickly and one thing I’ve learned in this game with champion players is to never write them off. They always find a way to keep coming back. He’ll find a way and he’ll win games for his team.” He also backed Dhoni's chances in Indian colours for the Champions Trophy, "He can be an important player in that Indian team, especially with his experience. Batting in the middle order, he’s someone who can really control a one-day innings, and that might be what you need in England." Dhoni and Rising Pune Supergiant host the struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore in Pune on Saturday.
