IPL 2018: 4 tactical decisions by Dhoni that have paid off
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is arguably India’s best captain in cricket, having won all three ICC tournaments and has lead India to the no.1 ranking in Test cricket during his time at the helm. He is a shrewd decision-maker and more often than not, they have benefitted the team.
Whether it was giving Joginder Sharma the last over of the World T20 final over the more experienced Harbhajan Singh or promoting himself up the order in the 2011 World Cup final ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh, he has given countless memories for Indian cricket fans to cherish.
While he may longer captain the national side, he is still going strong as CSK’s captain on their return to the IPL this season. This was a new-look CSK team and apart from regulars Raina and Jadeja, Dhoni had to build a capable team from scratch.
But being the master tactician that he is, he found a way to get his best combination on the field and ended up leading CSK to a top-two finish in the points table. Here, we take a look at 4 brilliant tactical decisions by Dhoni in the 2018 IPL:
#1 Sending Rayudu to open the innings
Dhoni is known to trust a few players who he has identified can win him games. Jadeja, Raina and Ashwin are prime examples of that trust. He has relied on this instinct throughout his captaincy spell and has found another gem this season in Ambati Rayudu.
The IPL is a tournament where Rayudu is a stalwart. Everyone expected Watson and Billings, regular openers to open for CSK. But Dhoni sent out Rayudu instead to open and boy, has he repaid that faith shown in him.
He has been CSK’s most consistent batsman with 586 runs this season and held the orange cap for a brief period as well. He also hit his maiden IPL century against SRH and will be crucial if CSK are to win the trophy.