Why MS Dhoni should bat at No.4
"I'm not sure about it," Dhoni said when asked if he would play another World Cup. "I'm 33, I'm still running, I'm still fit, but I'll have a year's time, maybe close to next year, during the T20 World Cup will be the time I would like to decide whether I'll continue till the 2019 World Cup or not."
Irrespective of whether MS calls it a day in 2017 or 2019, Indian fans will have the privilege of witnessing a legend play out the final stages of his career for quite some time more. In the 2nd and 3rd ODI’s of India’s tour of Bangladesh, Dhoni scored 47 & 69 respectively, coming into bat at No 4. Team director Ravi Shastri recently offered his full backing to Dhoni over the issue and stats prove that there’s reason to do so.
Dhoni batting at different positions
Dhoni has the best average among all batsmen batting at no.4 with a minimum tally of 1000 runs. He has scored 1026 runs at an average of 68.40 and a statistical analysis of Dhoni’s career confirms that he is someone who will be more comfortable batting in the top 4 rather than at number 6 or number 7.
| Batting Position | Matches | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opener | 2 | 98 | 96 | 49 | - |
| 3 | 16 | 993 | 183* | 82.71 | 2 |
| 4 | 20 | 1026 | 109* | 68.40 | 1 |
| 5 | 54 | 2069 | 124 | 54.44 | 3 |
| 6 | 125 | 3571 | 139* | 45.78 | 1 |
| 7 | 39 | 812 | 139* | 47.76 | 2 |
| 8 | 4 | 51 | 20 | 17 | - |
The current Indian team is relatively young and the lower middle order, sans Dhoni and Raina, is inexperienced. Raina being primed for the role of ‘finisher’ batting at no.6, provides the perfect opportunity for Dhoni to bat at no.4.
Dhoni at No.4 would be ideal
Though the Indian skipper in the shorter formats has batted lower down the order usually, Dhoni started batting at number four again in the recent series against Bangladesh which India unfortunately lost. The positive was that Dhoni steadied the Indian innings on both occasions and also scored a decent amount of runs before getting out.
Batting at No.4 would give Dhoni the time to settle in, read the conditions and bat accordingly. He is not someone who really gets bogged down by dot balls. The innings he played against Australia at the Adelaide Oval ( he scored an unbeaten 44 to guide India to victory with two balls to spare) stands as a testimony to that.
In Bangladesh, though he was not in peak form, he was able to score because of his ability to run the quick singles. His technique will always be a subject of debate but combined with his temperament puts him yards ahead of the other option at No.4 in the form of Ajinkya Rahane. The Mumbaikar is undoubtedly one of the most technically sound batsmen in the country right now but his scoring has been restricted by appropriate field placements and bowling the right line and length(as seen in the first ODI against Bangladesh).
Dhoni’s unorthodox technique, which is mostly based upon his wristwork, allows him to work the ball through the gaps. His agile running between the wickets enables him to get the quick singles and doubles when available. Also, once set, Dhoni has the ability to clear the fences at will and create pressure on the bowling attack.
With all due respect to Rahane, Dhoni is a better fit to bat at number 4 in the current Indian team. Number 5 is too low a number for someone of Rahane’s class to bat at even though he may be ready to play at any position the team wants to.
The experience factor
With Rahane being sidelined, the batsmen coming after Dhoni are Rayudu, Raina & either of Stuart Binny or Axar Patel. Rayudu is relatively inexperienced at the international level and if he comes in to bat at the fall of the 3rd wicket, he will have either Kohli or Dhoni at the other end to guide him. Not only are they excellent readers of the game, they can finish off the game well.
The presence of either of them at the crease benefits the batsmen coming in next. They would have an experienced campaigner at the crease who will be able to guide the chase in case India are batting second as well as set up a huge total if batting first, thus taking the pressure off them.
Though Raina is experienced enough, he needs support from the other end to finish games. The Dhoni-Raina partnership has been one of the best combinations down the order in Indian cricket. Raina has played well on most occasions he has batted with Dhoni at the other end and the calmness and experience that MS brings to the table is an undeniable factor in the same.
Dhoni at No.4 would act as a fulcrum that balances the explosive top order and the relatively inexperienced lower middle order providing stability to this Indian team. It is best, not only for Dhoni but also for the Indian team to have him bat at number 4.?