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Ex-CSK star on why Dhoni should open after Chennai's horror start: 'If he stays there for 14-15 overs you never know'
Dhoni has never opened for in T20 cricket, neither for India nor for Chennai Super Kings or in any other domestic competition
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have incurred the worst start to their Indian Premier League (IPL) season as they lost their first four games of IPL 2022. The consecutive losses will add to pressure of their playoffs qualification leaving them chances bleak . CSK would hence want to try something different in a bid for revival and former CSK star Parthiv Patel has a “weird” idea.
Speaking to Cricbuzz after Chennai's defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday afternoon, Parthiv floated the idea of playing Dhoni, CSK's former captain, as an opener. He feels that if the veteran cricketer can stay as long as 14 to 15 overs, Chennai can make the difference.
“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,” he said.
Dhoni has never opened for in T20 cricket, neither for India nor for Chennai Super Kings or in any other domestic competition. The only time Dhoni ever opened in any format was almost 17 years back in the ODI format. He scored 2 off 7 against Sri Lanka in 2005 and a 106-ball 96 against England in 2006.
“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. And once he has survived those 15-20 balls, you never know what the thought maybe,” Parthiv added.
In T20, the highest he batted was at No.3 for CSK, the last being in 2011. He scored 188 runs in seven such innings with one half-century score.
