20 April,2024 05:00 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
MS Dhoni, Brian Lara (Pic: File Pic)
The fans want MS Dhoni to bat up the order and even the CSK management would like to happen it that way. But the West Indies legend Brian Lara knows that Dhoni's ability to bat for more time is restricted due to a chronic knee problem and he won't consider the promotion in the batting lineup.
Besides his knee issue, Dhoni is also providing other youngsters to prove their skills. "It's just brilliant. The question has to be asked would you like to bat higher? Because I can see he's making valuable contributions. But there are a couple of losing causes as well. So, I think that should be a consideration," Lara told Star Sports.
The CSK legend Dhoni scored some crucial runs in the end during the IPL 2024 match against Lucknow Super Giants. He scored 28 runs in nine balls. Later, Chennai lost the IPL 2024 match by eight wickets against LSG.
Lara added, "At 42, he's most likely thinking from the teams point of view, that the young guys got to do the job. But I think the middle of the innings told a little bit too much about CSK batting. And it created the fact that even though he exploded at the end and he did that Dhoni thing at the end and it still was not enough.
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"So, I think they will have to go back to the drawing room. And realise that they need to be a little bit more aggressive throughout the innings. Because at the back end, you've got the man to come.
"And if he gets two three overs, as he did against Mumbai Indians. And propelled them above 200. They need to think about that all the time."
Lara also expressed his views about the moments when Dhoni came to bat in the IPL 2024 matches and about the cheers across different Indian venues. "That's the terrific part of the game. I've said it over and over again, when you have a guy aged 42, a legend, an icon in the game, someone who has played in the IPL for so many years and you don't know when he's going to say, hey, that's it.
"He comes out to bat and I think it's just a moment to savour and everyone is just going to feel amazing about this. It's going to be a lot of emotions, but then he walks out and does the business," Lara said.
"He may not have to look and say, 'listen, I may have to go up the order because I may need a little bit more runs'. He has batted five, six times now and remained unbeaten. So, any team strategising would say, 'well, obviously you have to go up'. But I don't think he will."
CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said that the team is not surprised with the performances of Dhoni in the IPL 2024 as the skill level pre-season was very high.
When the discussion turned to Dhoni's fitness and running between the wickets, Lara said, "He's still doing it today and let's make sure that he's on the park for all the matches in this IPL for CSK.
"But yeah, running between the wickets where he is aware of the situation and aware of that the matchup for him is just the correct matchup.
"And it just looked like when you look at the counter, there's two umpires, 11 fielders, and a bowler, and then there's these fans, and they all just look like spectators when he's striking the ball.
"Fielders diving to his left, he can't get it, fielders looking his head, he can't get it. It's just his show. He's just scripted it so well."
(With PTI Inputs)
