Chennai Super Kings batting coach Michael Hussey believes Mahendra Singh Dhoni should bat at No 4 in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates.
In an interview with The New Indian Express, the former Australia batsman said that it will be better for the team if the former India captain bats higher up the order.
Dhoni, captain of the three-time champions CSK, hasn’t played competitive cricket since India’s World Cup semi-final defeat to New Zealand in July 2019.
“No 4 is ideal for MS Dhoni to bat, but everyone in the middle-order will need to adapt as per the situation. Not sure yet what the make-up of the team will be. Just focused on the preparation phase at the moment,” said Hussey.
CSK will go into IPL 2020 with their core group of players – including Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, Imran Tahir and Mitchell Santner. They have two more leg-spinners – Piyush Chawla and Karn Sharma – in their squad as well.
“Just get in there (ground) and do the hard work. We are lucky to have a lot of experienced players in our ranks who know their game well,” said Hussey.
“They also know what they need to prepare and how to be ready for the task. Of course, batting is our strength, but I feel we have a well-balanced team that covers all the skill sets well. [It’s] not really that easy as everybody thinks. Every player will have to go there and adapt to the conditions.”
The 12th edition of the IPL, which was scheduled to begin in March, will now be played in the UAE. It is set to begin on September 19, with the final scheduled for November 8.
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