After stepping down as the Chennai Super Kings captain just a day before the start of the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), will MS Dhoni relinquish his 'number 7' role in the team as well? MS Dhoni's former Indian and CSK teammate Suresh Raina spoke about the 5-time IPL winner and expressed his wish to see Dhoni bat up in the order for his IPL side.
"The best thing is that he’s looking fit. He looks to be in good form and is batting well. But, I would want to see him bat higher in the order. The whole world wants to see him bat for five overs and not the last two overs. When he comes to the crease, he’ll take some time to settle down and you’ll see his helicopter sixes after that. He went through an operation, he will not be captaining, so this will be a big IPL for him." Raina said.
"He would be hoping that CSK can maintain a champion’s mindset. That will happen when Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and Daryl Mitchell set the tone. So, they have to tick a lot of boxes." He added.
However, with many batting options up in the order, MS Dhoni will likely be seen batting around the same order, giving youngsters their chance in games.
MS Dhoni is known for his mammoth and powerful sixes in games. With rumours indicating that this will be his final season in the IPL, both Suresh Raina and Dhoni fans will be wishing for him to face more balls for CSK this year and showcase his power hitting for a little longer than the past.
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