Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has slammed Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) former skipper MS Dhoni for coming out to bat at the number 9 slot during their recently concluded match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2024 on Sunday afternoon.
Notably, CSK and PBKS had squared-off in the 53rd match of the ongoing IPL season at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala. Despite posting a moderate total of 167/9 in the allotted 20 overs, CSK won the affair by 28 runs, thanks to their bowlers.
Harbhajan, who also played for CSK in IPL, reckoned that Dhoni should have batted from the 16th over. Dhoni’s stay in the middle was short-lived as he was dismissed for a golden duck by Harshal Patel. Dhoni failed to read Harshal’s slower delivery as his stumps were uprooted.
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What Harbhajan Said on Dhoni
“MS Dhoni shouldn’t play if he wants to bat at the number 9 slot. It is better to include a fast bowler than him in the playing XI. He is the decision-maker and has let down his team by not coming out to bat. Shardul Thakur came ahead of him. Thakur can never hit shots like Dhoni and I don’t understand why Dhoni made this mistake. Nothing happens without his permission and I am not ready to accept that this decision to demote him was taken by someone else,” Harbhajan said on Star Sports.
“CSK were in a need of quick runs and Dhoni has done that in the previous games. It was shocking that he stayed back in the important contest against Punjab Kings. Even if CSK win today, I will still call out Dhoni. Let people say anything. I will say what is right,” he added.
Irfan Pathan also slams MSD
Not just Harbhajan but also Irfan Pathan, the former Indian all-rounder, has expressed disappointment with Dhoni. Irfan was also unhappy over Dhoni’s decision to come out to bat at No. 9.
In discussing the matter, Pathan expressed the opinion that Dhoni should not bat so low in the order as it would not benefit the team. Pathan suggested that Dhoni should assume greater responsibility, noting that despite his age, he has shown good form for the five-time champions.
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“MS Dhoni batting at No. 9 doesn’t work for CSK, it’s doesn’t help the team’s cause. I know that he is 42, but he is in solid form. He should be taking the responsibility of batting up the order. He should bat for at least 4 to 5 overs. He is batting for the last over or last 2 overs and that doesn’t serve the purpose for CSK for a long term,” Pathan told Star Sports.
“It might happen that we will see CSK qualify for the playoffs from here on, and they need to win 90 percent of their games. As a proper senior guy who’s in form, he needs to bat up the order. He can’t be doing the same thing that he has done on quite a few occasions,” Pathan said.
