Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan expressed his disappointment over MS Dhoni's decision to come to bat at No.9 in IPL 2024 clash between Punjab Kings (PBKS) versus Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala on May 5. Batting first, CSK scored 167 for the loss of nine wickets. In reply, PBKS managed to score just 139/9 and fell short of 28 runs while chasing the target of 168 against the defending champions.
MS Dhoni should bat for at least 4 to 5 overs: Irfan Pathan
While speaking on Star Sports, Pathan addressed Dhoni's batting order. He said that Dhoni is 42 but he is in solid form but didn't shy away from advicing CSK legend to bat at least four to five overs. Dhoni has usually stepped onto the crease with just approximately two overs left in the CSK’s innings so far in the ongoing IPL 2024.
"MS Dhoni batting at No.9 doesn't work for CSK, it's doesn't help the team's cause. I know that he is 42, but he is in solid form. He should be taking the responsibility of batting up the order. He should bat for at least 4 to 5 overs. He is batting for the last over or last 2 overs and that doesn't serve the purpose for CSK for a long term," Pathan told Star Sports.
On a few occasions, MS Dhoni has thrilled his fans when he walked out to bat this season in the IPL. However, during the clash against PBKS, pacer Harshal Patel cut short the fans’ hopes and dismissed MS Dhoni for a golden duck. Notably, Dhoni came to bat at No. 9 for the first time in his T20I career. Harshal became the first player to dismiss the CSK’s former captain in the IPL 2024. This was the second time that Dhoni was dismissed in this year’s IPL and both dismissals came against PBKS in the past two matches.
'You can't send Shardul Thakur ahead of yourself'
Pathan also said that CSK need to win 90 per cent of their clashes to qualify for the playoffs. He went on to say that Dhoni is a senior guy and he needs to bat up the order. He also questioned Dhoni’s decision to promote Shardul Thakur ahead of himself.
"It might happen that we will see CSK qualify for the playoffs from here on and they need to win 90 percent of their games. As a proper senior guy, who's in form, he needs to bat up the order. He can't be doing the same thing that he has done on quite a few occasions. Yes, he made an impact against Mumbai, but here, when the team needed him, you can't send Shardul Thakur ahead of yourself. You can't see Dhoni batting at No.9. Sameer Rizvi was also padded up in the 15th over. They need to work out something; someone has to tell Dhoni, 'Come on mate, bat for 4 overs,” Pathan added.
With this win, CSK have boosted their playoff chances. This win was CSK's sixth win out of 11 matches in the ongoing season. CSK despite their batting struggles managed to post 167 on the board. However, Ravindra Jadeja snared three wickets for 20 runs in four overs and turned the game in CSK's favour. He was also sensational with the bat as he scored 43 runs off 26 balls including three fours against PBKS. Tushar Deshpande and Simarjeet Singh chipped in with two wickets for CSK. For PBKS, none of the batters could get going as the team could score only 139/9.
Dhoni’s performance in IPL 2024 so far
MS Dhoni has so far scored 110 runs so far in nine innings from 11 matches at an average of 55 and a strike rate of 224.48.
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