ICC World Cup 2019: How MS Dhoni Can Solve India's Problem of No. 4 Batsman?

With the Indian Premier League (IPL) done and dusted, the focus of all the cricket lovers will now shift to the upcoming ICC World Cup 2019 in England and Wales. Many pundits and former cricketers have pinned Indian National Cricket Team as one of the title contenders to win the illustrious trophy. However, they are still pondering over who should bat at no four. They have quite a few options in hand like Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni, and KL Rahul, but the management is yet to take a final call.

Dhoni to bat at No 4 in the World Cup?

Over the past two years, the management have done permutation and combination with that spot. But nobody could show the consistency needed to seal that berth. Ambati Rayudu got the most no of opportunities and was the front-runner to be on the plane to England for the spot. However, the selectors went ahead with young all-rounder Vijay Shankar due to his ability to contribute in all the department. Shankar impressed batting at the top-order during the series against New Zealand and going by his technical skills, Shankar will be a good option in England.

But a poor outing in the Indian Premier League and lack of experience of playing high-voltage games have once again brought that debate in the limelight. It has pushed the name of MS Dhoni to bat at that crucial position when India begin their World Cup campaign on June 5 against South Africa. Many former cricketers including former India coach Anil Kumble has backed Dhoni to bat higher up the order. Kumble said that the former India skipper understands the game better than anybody else and can control the pace of the innings which makes him suitable for the place.

Dhoni in good touch ahead of the World Cup

Meanwhile, MS Dhoni has been in good form since the start of 2019. He has scored 327 runs from nine matches this season at a staggering average of 81.75. Dhoni was in complete control of things in Australia when they won the ODI series. He also scored heavily in the recently concluded Indian Premier League to power his side to the finals of the tournament before going down by one run against Mumbai Indians. In the 15 games, he has played, Dhoni has scored 416 runs at an average of over 80 which will be a massive advantage for the Men in Blues.

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Although the legendary cricketer has batted at no 5 for the most part of his career, MS Dhoni boasts a strong record batting at second drop. He has batted at no 4 for 30 games, scoring 1358 runs at an average of 55 with one hundred. This stats shows that Dhoni’s record is way better than the other batters at disposal for the spot.  Although Ravi Shastri said that they have enough options for the place and the batting order will be flexible according to the situations, the cricket from Jharkhand is best suited for that spot who will aim to finish his World Cup career on a high.