IPL 2022: MS Dhoni should open batting for CSK, suggests THIS former cricketer

Former India and CSK wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel believes that ex-CSK captain MS Dhoni is being wasted coming into bat at No. 7 in the batting order.

Former CSK captain MS Dhoni. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)

Defending champions Chennai Super Kings have their backs to the wall in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. They are currently languishing in the last place out of 10 teams, having lost four matches on the trot – the latest being against Sunrisers Hyderabad over the weekend.

Former India and CSK wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel believes that ex-captain MS Dhoni is being wasted coming into bat at No. 7 in the batting order. Dhoni gave up CSK captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja just a couple of days before the IPL 2022 got underway.

Parthiv believes that Dhoni should come up the order, in fact, open the batting as well. In a disappointing season for CSK so far, Dhoni is the third-highest run-getter for his side with 92 runs in four matches, including 50 in the first game of the season against Kolkata Knight Riders.

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“He is someone who has revived the CSK side over the years. MS Dhoni started his career as an opener, why not take the role in the fag-end of his career? He is batting at No.7 now and plays hardly 10-15 balls. So why not Dhoni bat up in the order at No.3 or maybe at 4 or open? Just a figure like MS Dhoni, even if he stays there for 14-15 overs you never know. You will have to do something different,” Parthiv said on Cricbuzz website.

Dhoni has never opened in T20 cricket. He played a couple of ODIs as opener almost 17 years back, returning with scores of two against Sri Lanka and 96 against England. Parthiv added that former CSK skipper Dhoni has scored runs on several challenging tracks.

“Every time India were in trouble in seaming conditions, MS Dhoni has got runs, whether it was against Sri Lanka where he got 80 in Dharamsala or in Chennai against Pakistan where he got a hundred. With his technique, everyone would think that he would struggle on a seaming wicket and here the ball is seaming around in the first 4-5 overs and he has his own technique and knows how to survive,” Parthiv added.