NEW DELHI: After his brilliant performance against the Delhi Capitals, there have been increasing calls for
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
to bat higher up the order. However,
Michael Clarke
believes the former captain of the Chennai Super Kings will stick at number eight and will only move up if the game is "on the line."
Although Dhoni's unbeaten 37 off 16 balls at number eight did not prove to be sufficient, his devoted followers think that if he had batted higher in the order, the result would have been different.
Like Dhoni, Clarke is a World Cup winning captain, and he stated that the Indian icon will carry on as the finisher.
"I don't think he will. I think he'll stay where he is. I think every MS Dhoni fan wants to see him as high up the order as possible. We've all said throughout his career, he should open the batting," Clarke told Star Sports.
"But look, he's at a stage of his career where he's down from the captaincy. I don't think he'll come up the order. I think if there's a game on the line and he needs to go up the order because it's what's best for the team, I'm sure he will."
During his cameo against the Delhi Capitals, Dhoni hit a quick six over extra-cover and then in the 20th over, he hit a one-handed maximum over mid-wicket.
The 42-year-old had knee surgery last year; he last competed for India in 2019.
"...just because he's hitting the ball so well, I don't think you'll see him batting in the top five or top six. I think he's a genius at the dance. He's probably the best finisher I've ever seen. So, I think they'll continue to utilize him in that role," said Clarke.
Australia's former captain, Steve Smith, stated that having Dhoni above the eighth spot could help CSK.
"Let's get him up the order. I think he did not miss the middle of the bat tonight. That was just incredible to witness. I think Jadeja, throughout the other end, was actually struggling to find the middle.
"They bowled really well to him but MS got there on strike. Obviously, in his first ball to the boundary and then from there, he just barely missed the middle of the bat. It was great to watch and I think the fans want to see him getting up the order and keep doing it more often," said Smith.
(With PTI inputs)
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