MS Dhoni’s best batting position is number five, says his childhood coach

Former India captain MS Dhoni finally hit form with the bat. Even though he returned to scoring runs in the first ODI against Australia in Sydney, his innings of 51 off 96 balls was deemed to be too slow and not suitable for the fast-paced ODI format. The real celebration over Dhoni’s return to form came in the second game in Adelaide in which he slammed an unbeaten 55 off 54 balls to return from the middle only after India drove home with 6 wickets to spare.

These twin half-centuries came from Dhoni’s bat after 22 matches and 14 innings and the fans were naturally ecstatic to see the iconic player making a solid contribution. The batsman, who still has the best average when it comes to successful run-chases in ODIs, has been preferred ahead of in-form keeper Rishabh Pant and the supporters were eagerly waiting to see that the 37-year-old grabbed the chance that came his way with both hands.

Break has helped Dhoni to work on his game

Dhoni’s childhood coach Keshav Ranjan Banerjee has also come up with praising words for the batsman, saying the break that the former gets from international cricket helped him work on his game and deliver. Banerjee is also of the opinion that the Ranchi cricketer should ideally bat at No.5. Both of Dhoni’s latest fifties came in that position.

“A break is good for players, and it worked for him. It helps a cricketer sustain his potential, or else, once he is appearing in 15 to 20 matches in a row, the workload takes a toll and it can finish a career. This rotation policy was needed to conserve Dhoni’s energy in the World Cup year,” Banerjee was quoted by Sportstar as saying.

The coach also said that batting at No.5 suits Dhoni’s style of play. He said not all players can go and start smashing at once. “He (Dhoni) would need to go deep into the game, adjust with the pitch as well as the field set-up. Now he has Dinesh Karthik and Ravindra Jadeja to back him up. When batting at No. 6 or No. 7, he may run out of partners. There is also no guarantee that he will score a 50 in every game,” Banerjee said.

It may be recalled here that Dhoni had come ahead of Yuvraj Singh in the final of the 2011 World Cup at No.5 and played a knock of 91* to guide India to their second world title in 50 overs.

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