Asia Cup 2018: MS Dhoni should bat at no.4, says Zaheer Khan

Former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan believes MS Dhoni should bat at no.4 during the ongoing Asia Cup. India has struggled to find a batsman who can consistently occupy the no.4 position. While Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli have been steady at the top of the order, the no.4 conundrum is something the management is yet to solve.

Dhoni has exhibited a need for time at the crease before he can unleash his finishing capabilities. Although he is hailed as one of the best finishers in world cricket, Dhoni hasn’t lived up to this accolade of late. His last international appearance was against England in the 3-match ODI series, during which he faced a lot of flak for his ‘lack of initiative’ and his ‘laid-back approach’.

Dhoni was even booed at Lord’s during the second ODI against England earlier this year when the visitors were chasing 323. He walked into the middle at 140 for 4 after Virat Kohli was dismissed for 45. However, Dhoni’s innings lacked ‘intent’, as he scored 37 off 59 before being caught in the deep in what was his first aggressive shot.

Even in the final ODI at Headingley, MSD scored 42 at a strike rate of 64. The wicketkeeper-batsman faced considerable criticism for his approach but was backed by his team management regardless of his performances. Team India has tried as many as ten batsmen at the no.4 position in the last few years but is yet to find someone who can permanently occupy this spot. Zaheer insisted that Dhoni is the man suited to bat at four.

You need experience at 4, you need Dhoni

Speaking to Harsha Bhogle at Cricbuzz Unplugged, Zak said, “Someone has to take the responsibility of the number four position and it has to be MS Dhoni. If you take a look at the losses of the Indian team, they haven’t had a good start. Once they haven’t got off to a good start, they haven’t been able to recover from a bad start. So you need experience, you need someone who has dealt with such kind of situations and soak in the pressure at that stage, take someone along with him. And that’s something MS Dhoni is brilliant at.”

Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull another expert on the panel is of the same opinion as Zaheer.

India kicks off its Asia Cup title defence against Hong Kong on Tuesday, September 18. On the following day they take on archrivals Pakistan in a much-awaited clash.

news and other updates follow CricTracker.