MS Dhoni can’t bat for 10 overs: CSK head coach Stephen Fleming

MS Dhoni, aged 43 continues to bat for the Chennai Super Kings as a key player for the franchise even being the oldest player in IPL. His growing age and degrading batting order has become a major concern for fans and even some commentators.

Clearing the air around the Batting number for MS Dhoni, the CSK Coach has revealed the reason why MS Dhoni doesn’t bat at the initial batting positions. Recently, when Dhoni played at the ninth position in a match against RCB, fans didn’t like it and even shared their disappointment over the batting position. His late entry point was heavily criticized on social media, as experts termed it a waste of an asset.

Fleming explains the logic behind Dhoni’s late entry points

Fans who were disappointed seeked answers on his late batting position and now, CSK coach has explained and revealed the logic behind why the wicketkeeper choses to bat at the lower positions and shuts all the allegations around him being a liability than asset to the team. There’s speculation about whether the outcome might have changed if Dhoni had batted earlier. However, CSK coach Stephen Fleming explained that due to the wear and tear on Dhoni’s body and knee at 43, he isn’t able to bat for 10 overs.

“Yeah, it’s a time thing. MS judges it. His body is… his knees aren’t what they used to be. And he’s moving okay, but there’s still an attrition aspect to it. He can’t bat ten overs running full stick. So he will gauge on the day what he can give us. If the game’s in the balance like today, he will go a little bit earlier, and he backs other players when other opportunities are up. So he’s balancing that,”

MS Dhoni, who is considered the best finisher, failed to deliver winning chases for the team in his last two successive matches. First, he failed at home ground against RCB when he came to bat at number 9, and second, he failed against RR even after a successful win. Despite this, coach Stephen Fleming is firm in his stance—Dhoni is still an invaluable asset to the franchise, and his role will primarily see him entering the game after the 13th or 14th over.