After watching the blast of MS Dhoni against the Delhi Capitals, the general feeling among the fans is that the Chennai Super Kings should ponder strongly over promoting the former captain to number 3 in the batting order. This belief of the fans has only strengthened after CSK’s two consecutive losses that have put them in a spot of bother.
MS Dhoni belied his age of 42 and utterly demolished the likes of Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, and Anrich Nortje, who is one of the fastest bowlers in the world, in Vizag. The 42-year-old clobbered 4 fours and 3 sixes in his brief innings and utterly demoralised Nortje with two sixes and two fours that had the fans dancing in joy, even though CSK lost the match.
That was CSK’s first loss of the IPL 2024 season, after two consecutive wins to start their campaign at the Chepauk. After the loss against Delhi, CSK also went down in their next game and received a thrashing at the hands of SRH in Hyderabad.
Against SRH, Dhoni came in at number 7 in the last over of CSK’s innings and faced two balls to score a single. Against Delhi, he had come even lower, at number 8, and clattered a number of jaw-dropping sixes and fours.
CSK lost by 20 runs against Delhi, something which the fans feel could have turned into a win had MS Dhoni come up in the order given his hitting form while Ravindra Jadeja scored 21 runs in 17 balls. Against SRH, CSK could manage a below-par score of 165, and during their innings, the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, who bats at number 3, and Jadeja again batted at a lower strike rate than what was required on a good surface in Hyderabad.
CSK should consider promoting MS Dhoni to number 3 as a pinch-hitter:
All of this has led to calls from CSK fans for the management to ponder hard over promoting Dhoni to number 3 as a pinch-hitter. Dhoni is unlikely to be able to do the anchor role now, and fans feel he could go up the order and have a crack at the bowlers, aiming for nothing but fours and sixes.
What this could help is take the opposition by surprise and force them to veer away from their set plans of bowling to the weaknesses of Rahane and Jadeja. A proper Dhoni cameo in the middle-overs would CSK’s middle-order the momentum needed for some flourish in the death overs.
A CSK fan opined, “we need ms dhoni at no 3. 37(16) is enough credential for this. fire or fail. no anchoring. play 2-3 overs quick with absolute no mercy. catalyse the whole batting & leave. it’s like we have a fully functional tank in our backyard & we’re still fighting with knives. what you say?”
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