If form in the Indian Premier League is anything to go by, MS Dhoni is fit and firing and this is brilliant news for the Indian team and its captain Virat Kohli. Very often in the IPL, Dhoni sauntered throug the middle overs, took a couple of balls to get settled and then took off. This is what seasoned off-spinner Harbhajan Singh believes the Indian management should ask Dhoni to do in the ICC 2019 World Cup.
"I feel he is at his best when he hits out from the onset. Some of his best innings have come when he started the onslaught straightaway. I feel the team management should give him and Hardik Pandya the licence to bat the way they want to. No restrictions, only go for the jugular at No 5," Harbhajan, who played with MS Dhoni for CSK, was quoted as saying by PTI in an interview.
Dhoni should intimidate spinners in middle overs
Bhajji believes that the presence of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul in the top order should allow Dhoni to come out and play with absolute freedom and take the attack to the oppositions' slower bowlers in the middle overs.
"That's exactly my point. The Dhoni of the old would hit a six off the second ball off any spinner and those are big sixes. He should and can still do it as I have seen at the CSK nets. Uske chhakkon mein bahot jaan hai (He still hits mighty sixes)," the man with more than 400 Test wickets added.
The offie also wants Dhoni to be more aggressive in his approach as he can have an intimidating presence when in full flow. He believes when on song, the wicket-keeper batsman can play with the mind of the bowlers and this is how he should take them on.
Speaking about the composition of the batting order, the 2011 World Cup winner said that KL Rahul should be in the side as he has the game and is in good form as well.
"I don't see anyone except KL Rahul fitting into that No. 4 slot. So that's a bit of a worry and also No. 6 slot where Kedar Jadhav will play. I hope that Jadhav gets fully fit before the South Africa game (June 5) as it is a very important slot," the 103-Test veteran elaborated.
