Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan was not at all pleased with Dhoni’s decision to bat down the order for the Chennai Super Kings. Dhoni, for the first time in his entire career, batted at number nine in the T-20s. However, Dhoni’s decision to bat down the order was not fruitful for the franchise, as the former skipper got dismissed on the very first delivery of Harshal Patel.
In his interaction with Star Sports, Irfan Pathan said, “MS Dhoni batting at No. 9 doesn’t work for CSK; it doesn’t help the team’s cause. I know that he is 42, but he is in solid form. He should be taking the responsibility of batting up the order. He should bat for at least 4 to 5 overs. He is batting for the last over or last 2 overs, and that doesn’t serve the purpose for CSK for the long term.”
Dhoni is having a phenomenal season with the bat. The star skipper is batting with an average of 55 and has scored over 110 in 7 innings at a strike rate of 224.48.
Irfan Pathan further added, “Yes, he made an impact against Mumbai, but here, when the team needed him, you can’t send Shardul Thakur ahead of yourself. You can’t see Dhoni batting at No. 9. Sameer Rizvi was also padded up in 15th over. They need to work out something; someone has to tell Dhoni, ‘Come on, mate, bat for 4 overs’.”
