‘He should have batted ahead of Ashwin’: Shane Watson on MS Dhoni coming out at No. 9 vs RCB | Ipl News

Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson batted for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to be promoted up the batting order for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). This was after CSK suffered a heavy 50-run defeat against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chepauk on Friday with Dhoni coming in to bat at number 9 with Ravichandran Ashwin sent before him. The former CSK captain would play a vintage 16-ball 30 but the match was already out of CSK’s hands then.
“This is exactly what CSK fans come to see — 30 off 16 deliveries from Dhoni. I would have absolutely loved to see him come up the order. In my opinion, he should have batted ahead of Ashwin,” Watson said.
“Given the game situation, Dhoni could have played like this for another 15 balls. Over the last couple of years, he has consently shown that he’s still batting beautifully. I truly believe he should be promoted up the order so we can see the full extent of his skills,” he added.
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The top and middle order of the CSK crumbled as skipper Gaikwad endured four-ball-duck batting at number three on Friday night.
“It was disappointing to see certain decisions, like Rahul Tripathi opening the batting. Ruturaj Gaikwad is a quality opener, yet he had to come in later. Even one of the shots Ruturaj played, where he gave himself room against Hazlewood, was uncharacteric,” Watson said.

“Normally, he stands still and reacts, but this showed he was under pressure. Deepak Hooda, at the moment, just isn’t up to it; he played each ball as if he was trying to survive. Batting Sam Curran at No. 5 was also questionable. I see him as more of a No. 7 batter. Right now, CSK hasn’t got their combinations right, and they need to make a few adjustments. If they pers with this batting line-up, they risk being exposed,” he added.
(With agency inputs)