Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni batting at no.9 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) raised a few eyebrows. His former teammate Harbhajan Singh went on to say that Dhoni shouldn't play at all if he bats at no.9. Ahead of CSK’s clash against Gujarat Titans (GT), CSK head coach Stephen Fleming has revealed why Dhoni is batting down the order.
"We're managing his workload," said Fleming as quoted by Cricbuzz. "It's risky and we've seen that early on in the season with a little bit of muscle injury, that if he bats too long, we run the risk of losing him. So we're trying to find that balance where he can have an impact on the match by just hitting sixes and fours, which he's done pretty well and keep as well as some of the best in the competition, if not the best in the competition."
CSK coach expressed concerns over his fitness but ruled out any injury concerns for the 42-year-old. He emphasised that Dhoni will not bat for too long.
"So don't underestimate his influence on the team just because he comes in at number nine. There's a timing aspect, but we're very wary of what he can give us and we will max that out, but we don't want to max it out where we lose him. So it's a delicate balance," he added.
Dhoni’s tactical advice more important that his batting
Fleming reiterated that he wants the wicketkeeper-batter to bat for two to three overs. He wants Dhoni to be at his tactical best and help skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad.
"We've said earlier on that when he recovered from knee surgery last year, which was quite debilitating for him, there was going to be a certain workload this year that he could manage. Now, one of our challenges is that we've got a good backup keeper, but he's no MS Dhoni and we want to keep MS Dhoni on the field, doing what he does best, which is the last two, three overs, four overs with the bat and his keeping and his ability to share tactical advice with the new captain is really important. So we're valuing some other things," he added.
CSK’s NRR a big positive
Currently, CSK are in fourth position with six wins from 11 games. They face challenge from Delhi Capitals (DC) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) who have same number of points. However, CSK's NRR is considerably higher.
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