Dhoni, the hitter, has started to take a back seat: Manjrekar | Courtesy: IPL / BCCI
Key points
- MS Dhoni promoted Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran over him against the Mumbai Indians
- Dhoni only played two balls when CSK defeated MI by 5 wickets in the first match of the 2020 IPL
- Sanjay Manjrekar feels that Dhoni, the batsman, has started to occupy the back seat of Dhoni, the captain
MS Dhoni made a winning return to professional cricket by leading Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to a convincing 5 wicket victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in the opener of the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL). On the way to the victory, Dhoni made some bold decisions when he sent players like Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja ahead of him in the batting order. According to former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar, these are the signs that Dhoni, the batsman, will take the backseat of Dhoni, the captain.
“It was amazing to see Chennai win the first game, a team that thrives on spinning throws had a brilliant winning performance against Mumbai in the opening act,” Manjrekar wrote in his column for The Times of India on Tuesday.
Dhoni was only able to play two balls against Mumbai, one of which even saw him being handed over by the outfield referee in the first delivery. But when Dhoni arrived, the chase was almost over and only the last nail was required in the coffin.
Manjrekar, commenting on Dhoni’s decision to promote Jadeja and Curran over him, sees him as the 39-year-old going one step further in terms of captaincy, where he will expose others to pressure situations.
“I saw Dhoni as captain in that first game where Chennai lost five wickets and Dhoni finished with zero, not out, after facing only two balls. While it is true that more evidence is needed, people should not be surprised if they see Dhoni, the batter, in the background to allow Dhoni, the captain, to guide the luck of the team, “said Manjrekar.
Picking Sam Curran, (Lungi) Ngidi in the eleven and then promoting Curran and (Ravindra) Jadeja in order to make a winning difference are all early signs of this. With a win against Mumbai, which has been their nemesis, Chennai starts as a clear favorite against Rajasthan, ”he added.
CSK has quite a few more than 30 players on the team, some of whom have also retired from different game formats. Having not played cricket for months and, in some cases, over a year, fitness is going to be the biggest struggle for some players.
In such a scenario, the younger ones would have to take on more responsibilities, and Dhoni already seems to be preparing them for the same.
