Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are aiming to bounce back from consecutive losses when they take on high-flying Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on April 8 in their fifth clash of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Ahead of the clash between them, former Australia captain Michael Clarke said that the CSK management must let MS Dhoni play as a finisher because the team needs other batters to step up. He added that Dhoni is the greatest finisher in the history of cricket and does not need to play more balls.
The 42-year-old Dhoni walked out to bat at No. 8 for the first time in the IPL 2024 season against Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals (DC). In the final over, he slammed some magnificent sixes to ensure that CSK finished as close as possible to the target. His unbeaten 37 runs off 16 balls against DC was nothing short of a spectacle as fans cheered him without caring whether the team winning or losing the match. However, they lost the match by 20 runs while chasing a 192-run target and ended up at 171/6.
'Dhoni should stick to his batting position'
While speaking on Star Sports, former cricketers Sanjay Manjrekar and Michael Clarke opined that the ‘Thala’ should stick to his position. While fans demand to see him more because this could be his final season in the IPL.
"Which means he will have to come ahead of somebody like a Daryl Mitchell, Ravindra Jadeja or Shivam Dube. Is that the right call? I Wonder. May be not. I want him to replicate what he did last season. Few balls and maximum impact. And even in that match, when he got 30-odd, he got it in 16-17 balls. MS Dhoni's strengths likes in his wicketkeeping, being a guide to Ruturaj and his cameos. Sending him at No. 3 or No. 4 may not be such a great idea," Sanjay Manjrekar said.
Clarke also shared the same opinion by saying that it is time for other young players to step up, especially in batting.
"You are spot on, Sanjay. He doesn’t need to. That’s never been his role in any format of the game. There might have been occasions when he goes up the order. But, generally, he is a finisher. He is probably the best finisher the game has ever seen. So he doesn’t have to change that. The other thing about having MS Dhoni in your team, that should give the players in front of him feel confident, and maybe take a few risks a little bit earlier. He has got enough jobs, and he has done it for a long period of time. It’s time for other players to step up," Michael Clarke concluded.
As far as their head-to-head clashes are concerned, CSK have won 18 games against Kolkata out of 29 games they have played in IPL so far. Meanwhile KKR have 10 wins under their belt as one match ended without a result.
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