Will MS Dhoni be better playing up the batting order?

Ex Indian all rounder has shares his opinion on MS Dhoni and what is expected from him this year.

MS Dhoni led his side to a 4th IPL title last season. Even though his side won the trophy, his batting and finishing recently is a concern for the champions.

The former Indian skipper is regarded as one of the best finishers the game has ever seen. But, at 40 seldom can disagree that MS Dhoni is past his prime.

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Last season, the CSK skipper scored just 114 runs in 16 matches with his highest score being 18*. His strike rate was a major concern as the big hitting finisher had a strike rate of only 106.54.

If CSK are to defend their title, MS Dhoni would have to contribute more with the bat and finish the innings well. Especially in this era where the team chasing will not give up, no matter how big the score.

MS Dhoni has only 3 seasons where he managed to score less than 330 runs, 2 of them being the most recent ones.

Former Indian all rounder Reetinder Sodhi said that: ”MS Dhoni has to bat up the order because he is no longer the same finisher that he was known to be a few years back. If he takes his time, comes in the 10th or 11th over, he can hit the lusty blows later. MS Dhoni knows that he is the key to CSK’s prospects.”

The all rounder also stated that if CSK were to reach the final, the form of current Indian all rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
The left handed batsman has been in great form and Sodhi believes that he could be the key to CSK’s successful title defense.

“Ravindra Jadeja’s form will be very important. The way he batted in the Mohali Test match, the way he is bowling, these are great signs for Chennai that if he picks form, he can take Chennai to the IPL final. Ravindra Jadeja, Dhoni – all these big players have to take a lot of responsibility”, he added.

MS Dhoni and co take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of Tata IPL 2022.