Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, surprised by the strategy of Chennai Super Kings in the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, said that he does not understand why MS Dhoni is batting in the lower order. Chasing a target of 197 runs, CSK suffered a crushing defeat by 50 runs. Watson also feels that captain Rituraj Gaikwad should have opened the innings.

'Everyone comes to see Dhoni'

Ravichandran Ashwin was sent before Dhoni. He came to bat at number nine. He smashed the RCB bowlers and scored an unbeaten 30 off 16 balls, but the effort went in vain as it was too late by then. The match was almost over before Dhoni came to the crease. Watson said, 'This is what CSK fans come to see, Dhoni's innings of 30 runs off 16 balls.'

'Dhoni should have come before Ashwin' Watson said, 'I would have loved to see him come up in the batting order. In my opinion, he should have batted before Ashwin. Dhoni could have played for 15 more balls like this, given the situation of the game. Over the last few years, he has consistently shown that he can still bat brilliantly. I believe he should be brought up in the batting order so that we can see his full strength.' Dhoni batted in the lower order last season too Dhoni also batted in the lower order in the previous edition after retiring from international cricket. CSK's top and middle order collapsed on Friday night with captain Gaikwad getting out for zero off four balls at number three. Watson said, 'I am disappointed to see some decisions like sending Rahul Tripathi to open. Rituraj Gaikwad is a great opener, yet he had to come later. Even one of the shots that Rituraj played, in which he tried to hit the offside by giving himself space against Hazelwood, was also wrong.'

'Sam Curran should have been sent at number seven'

Watson said, 'Usually, Rituraj believes in standing on the field and rotating the strike, but that shot of his showed that he was under pressure. Deepak Hooda is not ready to play at the moment. He played every single ball as if he was trying to escape. It was also a wrong decision to make Sam Curran bat at number five. I see him as the number seven batsman. Right now CSK have not made the team combination right and they need to make some changes. If they continue with this batting order, it will be a risk.'

Watson convinced of Dhoni's wicketkeeping.

Watson and Aakash Chopra both praised Dhoni's keeping skills even at the age of 43. Watson said, 'Dhoni is still as agile as before from the point of view of wicketkeeping. He scatters the stumps in a moment. This tells me that his game is still good and he is fully prepared. At the same time, Aakash Chopra said, 'If CSK had sent Dhoni first, they would have had a better chance of winning. Of course, the audience saw Dhoni's short innings on Friday night, but they would have liked it very much. If Mahi had come first, CSK would have had a chance to win.'

'Only Dhoni can do such stumping'
Chopra also told what makes Dhoni different. He said, 'Great wicketkeeping! The fastest hands in the game. When we talk about speed behind the wicket, Dhoni is still the definition of it. We always say don't try to do this at home because whatever Dhoni does is unique. There is only one player in the world who can do such stumping with such accuracy and that is MS Dhoni.' CSK have won one match and lost one so far. They will next take on Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Sunday.

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