Sourav Ganguly Backs MS Dhoni to Bat at Number Four in World Cup

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has backed MS Dhoni to bat at number four position in the World Cup. MS Dhoni was at his best in the ODI series against Australia and Ganguly believes Dhoni’s experience will be vital. The talisman right-hander scored 193 runs in the three matches of the series at an average of 193. He remained unbeaten in the final two matches to finish the game off. Furthermore, he was the prey of a poor umpiring decision in the first match.

Meanwhile, India has backed Ambati Rayudu in the recent past to bat at number four. However, Rayudu could not grab his chance in the first two ODIs against Australia. Subsequently, he was dropped from the decider of the series, which India won by seven wickets.

On the other hand, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has put his weight behind MS Dhoni to bat at the number five place.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

“The way Dhoni has batted in the series…we have seen him play like this after a long time. India has played well and again won a series 2-1 after being 1-0 down.”

“A lot was said about Dhoni after the Adelaide ODI, where he batted slow but we spoke about how the innings will give him confidence and that is exactly what happened.

“I think Kedar will play No.5 and Dhoni will play at No.4. So I think India will go with this combination only because you gave someone an opportunity and they grabbed it. So Kohli at 3, Dhoni 4 and Jadhav at 5 followed by Karthik.

“No.4 is right for Dhoni because it gives him time to settle in and score runs and build an innings. So this combination is fine,” Ganguly said in IndiaTV’s show Cricket Ki Baat on Friday.

Meanwhile, MS Dhoni was able to rotate the strike with more confidence, which has been his Achilles Heel in the recent past. Consequently, Ganguly believes this performance will be a shot in the arm for Dhoni.

“The balance will only look better when everyone scores. Dhoni scored today and Jadhav chipped in as well. So the balance looked good today. Dhoni scored runs, Jadhav also looked in good touch and Dinesh Karthik also chipped in with runs. So, the form is important. Performance solves everything and MS Dhoni will get a lot of confidence from his,” Ganguly said.

On the other hand, Indian skipper Virat Kohli had a substandard tour of Australia. However, the Prince of Kolkata believes Kohli’s contribution to the team’s triumph was equally important.

“Virat’s contribution might not be like Virat’s standards but in the second match, if he had not scored a century, India wouldn’t have won. So I understand his contribution has been immense and people say he hasn’t been great when he scored the 40s and 50s but his contribution has been equally important,” Ganguly said.

India was able to tick the right boxes on the tour of Australia and MS Dhoni’s return to form was one of the biggest positives for the team. Men in Blue will now take on New Zealand.