SunstarTV Bureau: For the upcoming IPL match 2021 against Punjab Kings on Friday, former India opener Gautam Gambhir advised to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni and said that the legendary cricketer can’t be batting at as low as No. 7.
“We keep mentioning this thing that a leader needs to lead from the front. You can’t be leading, when you’re batting at No.7,” Gambhir said on Star Sports show Cricket Live ahead of the CSK vs PBKS encounter in Mumbai.
Further Gambhir added that, “he is not the MS Dhoni of old, who could hit the ball to parts of the ground against any opposition at will; Gambhir said the CSK captain should bat at No.4 or 5 in the upcoming matches.”
Dhoni batted at No.7 in CSK’s opening match of this year’s Indian Premier League against the Delhi Capitals and ended up getting dismissed for a duck after dragging an Avesh Khan delivery back onto his stumps.
“MS Dhoni should be batting higher, that’s what matters because ultimately people should start leading from the front. Yes, there are issues in their bowling line up. Plus, he is not the MS Dhoni, which he used to be probably four or five years back, where he could just come in and starts taking on the bowlers from the word go. For me, I think he needs to bat at number four/ five. Nothing below that,” said Gambhir.
Notably, Dhoni played his first match after the last IPL on April 10 and understandably looked rusty. The legendary cricketer had its worst IPL last year in terms of runs and strike rate as CSK failed to make the playoffs for the first time.
The three-time winners did not start on the right note this year. Despite impressive innings from Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu and a close to 190-run score, CSK lost the match comfortably to last year’s runner-up DC.
