The World Cup winner shared his views on MS Dhoni’s batting position at CSK in the IPL 2024.
Should Mahendra Singh Dhoni bat up the order for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in what appears to be his final season at the Indian Premier League (IPL)? The former CSK skipper turned the clock back with his breathtaking knock in match No.13 of the IPL 2024 against Rishabh Pant’s Delhi Capitals (DC) at Visakhapatnam. The 42-year-old showcased his T20 exploits by taking premier pacer Anrich Nortje to the cleaners in the final over the high-scoring contest.
Chennai Super Kings’ MS Dhoni plays a shot during the match against Delhi Capitals (ANI)
Making his return as wicketkeeper-batter for the first time since last year’s IPL final, Dhoni scored 37 off just 16 balls. The former CSK skipper creamed four fours and smoked three sixes in his entertaining knock for the Super Kings. However, Dhoni’s impressive late show failed to rescue CSK as the defending champions lost the match by 20 runs.
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‘I think every MS Dhoni fan wants to see…’
Speaking to Star Sports about Dhoni’s batting position at CSK, former Australian skipper Michael Clarke is convinced that Chennai won’t promote the former captain up the order in the remainder of the IPL. “I don’t think he will. I think he’ll stay where he is. I think every MS Dhoni fan wants to see him as high up the order as possible. We’ve all said throughout his career, he should open the batting,” Clarke said.
“But look, he’s at a stage of his career where he’s down from the captaincy. I don’t think he’ll come up the order. I think if there’s a game on the line and he needs to go up the order because it’s what’s best for the team, I’m sure he will,” the 2015 World Cup-winning captain added. Dhoni remained unbeaten on 37 while former skipper Ravindra Jadeja was not out on 21 off 17 balls. Chasing a challenging target of 192, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Co. posted 171-6 in their 20 overs.
‘Just because he’s hitting…’
Opener Prithvi Shaw played a scintillating knock of 42 (27), while comeback man Rishabh Pant played a captain’s knock of 51 off 32 balls. Former CSK skipper Dhoni guided Chennai to their fifth IPL crown last season. Dhoni stepped down as CSK skipper on the eve of the IPL 2024 opener between Chennai and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). “Just because he’s hitting the ball so well, I don’t think you’ll see him batting in the top five or top six. I think he’s a genius at the dance. He’s probably the best finisher I’ve ever seen. So, I think they’ll continue to utilize him in that role,” Clarke added.
