Why did MS Dhoni Not Bat Earlier in the Innings

The Indian cricket team are currently trying to mount a desperate fightback against New Zealand. They were off to a horrific start when KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were dismissed for one run each. The real trouble started when the question arose over when to send out MS Dhoni.

Rishabh Pant stabilised the innings for a while, along with Hardik Pandya until they too perished. Then, with the Men in Blue floundering, the signs were not looking great as Virat Kohli and coach, Ravi Shastri were spotted in an argument over something. Many speculated if it was to do with when to dispatch MS Dhoni to steady the sinking ship.

As of now, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja are trying to pull off the comeback, though their chances look bleak. Some were of the opinion that Dhoni should have been sent at number 5 instead of a player like Dinesh Karthik. Unfortunately, most of the middle order has failed to turn up, so the onus is on Dhoni to take the role of Atlas and shoulder the burden.

The fact that the players have played a number of dot balls has not helped their cause either. On occasion, MS Dhoni has a tendency to start off slow and speed up towards the end and take the match to the dying stages.

Though provokingly, there was seemingly a ‘lack of intent’ when the Men in Blue faced England. Also, they seemingly engaged in quickfire batting in order to not lose via Duckworth/Lewis Method.