‘CSK Coaching Staff Lacks Guts to Ask Dhoni to Bat Higher’: Manoj Tiwary After RCB Triumph in Chennai

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Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary criticized the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) support staff for lacking the courage to suggest that MS Dhoni should bat higher in the lineup. In CSK's match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Dhoni came in to bat at No. 9, while players like Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin batted ahead of him, despite the team needing to chase down a target of 197 runs.

The team, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, suffered a 50-run defeat, managing only 146 runs in their allotted twenty overs. Dhoni finished the innings not out on 30 runs from 16 balls, entering the game when the outcome was already decided.

Fans have expressed their frustration over Dhoni's low batting position, and analysts are now questioning the strategic decisions made by the franchise.

"It is incomprehensible to me that a player of MS Dhoni's caliber, who can score 30 runs off 16 balls without getting out, is not promoted in the batting order. The objective is to win, isn't it?" Tiwary remarked to Cricbuzz.

"With a strike rate that surpasses all other CSK players, he should be batting higher to maximize the team's chances of victory. I urge him to publicly explain why he is batting so low. The crowd was ecstatic when he came to the crease; they came to see him play," he continued.

Tiwary further stated, "The CSK coaching staff seems to lack the resolve to advise MS Dhoni to move up the order. I doubt they would ever have the confidence to do so. Once he makes a decision, it appears to be final."

'I am not surprised'

Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag expressed that he was not taken aback by MS Dhoni's late entry to bat in the match. He also opined that the outcome of the game would not have been altered even if the wicketkeeper-batter had batted earlier.

"This is a decision made by him and his team. He mentioned that he would only face a limited number of deliveries. He typically comes in to bat around the 17th or 18th over, and he did so in this instance as well," Sehwag stated in an interview with Cricbuzz.

"I am not surprised. It’s not as if coming in to bat sooner would have changed the dynamics of the match, given the way RCB was performing," he continued.

This marks only the second occasion in Dhoni's T20 career that he has batted at the No. 9 position, with the first being against Punjab Kings last season.

Following this loss to RCB, CSK has fallen to seventh place in the IPL standings. The team is set to compete against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Sunday, March 30.

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