Yesterday Dhoni came in at #4 for the 3rd ODI against NZ and scored a good 80 off 91 balls to help India win.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-new-zealand-2016-17/engine/match/1030223.html
Everyone was saying that he is back in form now and all, However I think that the best place for Dhoni right now is #6 in the Indian batting lineup with Manish Pandey at 4 and Jadhav at 5. Both are inexperienced players but are free flowing batters who need to be given chances to spend time in the middle. With Dhoni coming after them, He can then use his street smart cricket and hitting power to finish matches when needed.
Whats happening right now is that he's not free flowing when he bats up & also his hitting is not like it used to be before, but he is still good enough to finish matches for India.
If he comes at 4, a few scenarios can happen:
1. He comes and gets out early: This will put pressure on the inexperienced incoming batsman & it also puts the morale of the team & the crowd down, subsequently the morale of the opposing team gets high & they think the are in with a good chance.
2. He scores a medium score like around 40: Still this doesn't help much for the above reasons and also because that most likely it would be a 40 out of 50-60 balls as he doesn't score freely at the start, this can put the non-striker at some pressure too. The incoming batsman also now has less deliveries to work with. Even with 40 out of 40 which is the best case scenario is not good enough as it leaves the team without a finisher at the end (which is the basis of my argument here that we need him at the end). The medium score scenario can be done by Pandey/Jadhav too.
3. He scores a relatively big score like 80: This is what happened yesterday, after he got out there was a slight apprehension as the ball difference reached around 15 at one time, but as Kohli was playing so well & Pandey also, it wasn't a big deal in the end. But still this can be done by Pandey/Jadhav too.
4. This is the absolute best case scenario: Dhoni bats till the end and wins the game. Now, to remain n.o in a ODI is not easy at all obviously from #4 as the other team is not there to play marbles too. This will be rare occurrence.
So, from above the first 3 can be done by Pandey/Jadhav and the last one is rare.
What India needs from Dhoni is his presence at the end, even when he is not required to bat (in case top 5 do their job), even when the top 5 are batting, it will be a no panic zone, there is always the thought that Dhoni is still there in the dugout, this is good for the morale of the team & the crowd which can't be discounted. When he needs to finish innings from 6, he can do that with his calmness, running between the wickets, mental toughness, experience, and hitting ability more often than not.
Because of the above reasons i think 6 is the # for him.
Now, the whole reason for this talk is the fact that the times have changed since 2011, in 5 yrs lots has changed, infact only Kohli & Dhoni are the active players from the 2011 WC winning squad, Dhoni also has retired from Test match cricket. The point i am getting at is that Dhoni is not the same player as before, He was in his prime 5 yrs ago, and he had the support of Yuvraj & Raina in the lower order who were also at their prime, things have changed now, He himself admits that his hitting is not what it used to be & he is not the free flowing batsman when he comes at the top. So, the question arises which needs to be asked is 'does he deserve a place in the team?'
The answer is a resounding 'yes' right now - The main reason is his wicket keeping which is at his best. Now coupled with his batting, which still has the hitting power and his street smart thinking & running, he is a asset in the lower order, plus captaincy - which is fine as Kohli can take it over, but the other things right now say that he needs to continue at 6.
The other factor with this is that it gives the opportunity to the new players like Pandey & Jadhav to show their mettle. One other factor is the downslide of Raina & his lack of scores & short ball issues.
The heart of this post is the feeling that Dhoni is going in at 4 to prolong his career, like when he tried during the series in Bangladesh (whr he made comments against Rahane) , I think if he wants to prolong his career (if thats the thought process behind this promotion to 4) then nothing better than doing that from #6 which is the best for the team too.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-new-zealand-2016-17/engine/match/1030223.html
Everyone was saying that he is back in form now and all, However I think that the best place for Dhoni right now is #6 in the Indian batting lineup with Manish Pandey at 4 and Jadhav at 5. Both are inexperienced players but are free flowing batters who need to be given chances to spend time in the middle. With Dhoni coming after them, He can then use his street smart cricket and hitting power to finish matches when needed.
Whats happening right now is that he's not free flowing when he bats up & also his hitting is not like it used to be before, but he is still good enough to finish matches for India.
If he comes at 4, a few scenarios can happen:
1. He comes and gets out early: This will put pressure on the inexperienced incoming batsman & it also puts the morale of the team & the crowd down, subsequently the morale of the opposing team gets high & they think the are in with a good chance.
2. He scores a medium score like around 40: Still this doesn't help much for the above reasons and also because that most likely it would be a 40 out of 50-60 balls as he doesn't score freely at the start, this can put the non-striker at some pressure too. The incoming batsman also now has less deliveries to work with. Even with 40 out of 40 which is the best case scenario is not good enough as it leaves the team without a finisher at the end (which is the basis of my argument here that we need him at the end). The medium score scenario can be done by Pandey/Jadhav too.
3. He scores a relatively big score like 80: This is what happened yesterday, after he got out there was a slight apprehension as the ball difference reached around 15 at one time, but as Kohli was playing so well & Pandey also, it wasn't a big deal in the end. But still this can be done by Pandey/Jadhav too.
4. This is the absolute best case scenario: Dhoni bats till the end and wins the game. Now, to remain n.o in a ODI is not easy at all obviously from #4 as the other team is not there to play marbles too. This will be rare occurrence.
So, from above the first 3 can be done by Pandey/Jadhav and the last one is rare.
What India needs from Dhoni is his presence at the end, even when he is not required to bat (in case top 5 do their job), even when the top 5 are batting, it will be a no panic zone, there is always the thought that Dhoni is still there in the dugout, this is good for the morale of the team & the crowd which can't be discounted. When he needs to finish innings from 6, he can do that with his calmness, running between the wickets, mental toughness, experience, and hitting ability more often than not.
Because of the above reasons i think 6 is the # for him.
Now, the whole reason for this talk is the fact that the times have changed since 2011, in 5 yrs lots has changed, infact only Kohli & Dhoni are the active players from the 2011 WC winning squad, Dhoni also has retired from Test match cricket. The point i am getting at is that Dhoni is not the same player as before, He was in his prime 5 yrs ago, and he had the support of Yuvraj & Raina in the lower order who were also at their prime, things have changed now, He himself admits that his hitting is not what it used to be & he is not the free flowing batsman when he comes at the top. So, the question arises which needs to be asked is 'does he deserve a place in the team?'
The answer is a resounding 'yes' right now - The main reason is his wicket keeping which is at his best. Now coupled with his batting, which still has the hitting power and his street smart thinking & running, he is a asset in the lower order, plus captaincy - which is fine as Kohli can take it over, but the other things right now say that he needs to continue at 6.
The other factor with this is that it gives the opportunity to the new players like Pandey & Jadhav to show their mettle. One other factor is the downslide of Raina & his lack of scores & short ball issues.
The heart of this post is the feeling that Dhoni is going in at 4 to prolong his career, like when he tried during the series in Bangladesh (whr he made comments against Rahane) , I think if he wants to prolong his career (if thats the thought process behind this promotion to 4) then nothing better than doing that from #6 which is the best for the team too.
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