There was a feeling of déjà vu as India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni took Amit Mishra to the cleaners during a net session here on Teusday, much like former skipper Sourav Ganguly had done to Murali Kartik a few years ago.
Off 10 balls during a particular phase, Dhoni hit Mishra for half a dozen sixes and four boundaries which could qualify as near-about maximums.
The manner in which Dhoni hammered Mishra into submission could be a reason why the skipper is reluctant to induct the Haryana leggie into the playing XI.
Ganguly, in his heyday, was brutal on left-arm spinners.
Many believe that it is precisely the reason Kartik’s Test career ended with just eight matches between 2000 and 2004 as the ‘Prince of Calcutta’ never faced any problems while facing him at the nets.
And with Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in his ranks, Ganguly never considered Kartik a good enough option in either domestic or foreign conditions. One felt the same while watching Dhoni bat against Mishra when the Indian team trained ahead of their World T20 warm-up game against England.