Although Chennai Super Kings defeated Punjab Kings by 28 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, MS Dhoni is facing massive flak for coming out to bat at the number nine slot. The critcism grew louder when he was dismissed for a golden duck. CSK managed just 167/9 in 20 overs and Punjab were deemed as favourites.
However, Ravindra Jadeja’s all-round performance and impressive bowling by Tushar Deshpande (2 wickets) and Simarjeet Singh (2 wickets) restricted Punjab Kings to 139/9 in 20 overs.
Former India player Irfan Pathan, who has been talking about Dhoni’s batting position for a long time, was left disappointed.
“Where is MS Dhoni? He should take responsibility in the batting department. He is in form and there is no point to hold himself back to allow others to score freely. I know he doesn’t want to come early but there is no harm if he bats in the 16th over of the innings.
“He has enough experience to know that his team needs him. CSK were in trouble against Punjab Kings and it was responsibly to score quick runs,” Irfan Pathan said.
Jadeja scored 43 runs and took three wickets to lead the franchise to their sixth win of the 17th season.
