Cricket World Cup 2019: Why batting MS Dhoni at No. 4 will strengthen India’s chances

In a mere 90 days, on 5th June, India will play their first World Cup match against South Africa in Southampton. India head into the tournament in good form having won four of their last five ODIs with three more to play against Australia and two warm-up matches in England, providing India with time for the team to get into champion form and for players to cement their position in the starting XI for that opening game.

There are a number of big decisions to be made by Virat Kohli and the selectors with the rise of players such as Vijay Shankar and the form of both openers under question. One area which is key is the number 4 batting position and I believe MS Dhoni moving up to number four will significantly increase the tournament’s second favourites' odds of lifting the much-coveted trophy.

At the end of last year, Virat Kohli said that Ambati Rayudu was his man for the number four position but recently Indian management have said King Kohli himself could bat at four in England in a bid to separate the top three in bowler-friendly conditions. If England, the number one ranked ODI team can consistently score in excess of 300 in England, the number two team, India, should be confident in doing the same.

Virat Kohli’s century in the last ODI against Australia highlighted why he needs to remain in the number 3 position. Furthermore, Virat Kohli has scored 33 out of his 40 ODI centuries batting at number 3, so clearly, Kohli should bat at three. Team India’s recent comments suggest a lack of confidence in Ambati Rayudu and former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly recently shared the same concerns.

Ambati Rayudu

Let’s take a look at the statistics at number 4 in 2019 (as of 7 March 2019).

In 2019, in 9 innings at number 4, Ambati Rayudu has scored 245 runs at an average of 35 at a strike rate of 76.5. Although these numbers are not bad, they are not the numbers of someone who grabs the game by the scruff of the neck.

Now let’s look at Dhoni’s recent form. In 2019, Dhoni has scored 301 runs in 7 innings at an average of 100.3 with a strike rate of 80, a clear improvement on Rayudu’s numbers. Dhoni has scored the bulk of his runs in the number five position batting there five times. Dhoni had one chance to bat number four against Australia where he leads India to victory with a match-winning 87 not out.

Most recently, he was pushed down to number seven where he got a disappointing golden duck. Dhoni’s high average is a testament to his match-winning contributions where he has guided India to victory in four of his seven innings, scoring 59*, 48*, 87*, 55*.

Throughout his career, Dhoni has been and clearly still is a great finisher. In comparison, Rayudu has only carried the bat in an Indian victory twice this year, scoring 40* and 13* only in arguably lower pressure innings. Dhoni still has the pedigree and know-how to see the team through.

India’s openers' form make Dhoni’s experience key

It’s no secret that India’s openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are not in their usual bowling attack-destroying form and with bowler-friendly conditions in England, India could easily find themselves losing early wickets at the World Cup.

If India lose two wickets in the first ten overs, a calm, measured and experienced batsman is needed and Mahendra Singh Dhoni certainly fits the bill. The helicopter may not be taking off as much as the years gone by, but if his 2019 form is anything to go by, Dhoni can certainly anchor an innings.

With aggressive stroke-players such as Kedhar Jadhar and the exciting Vijay Shankar having the ability to provide the impetus around Dhoni, the extra time Dhoni requires at the start of his innings to get going will not be an issue. In addition, batting Dhoni at four will provide him with more time to get his eye in and if he lasts until the final few overs of the innings, fingers crossed the helicopter take off more frequently.

With IPL around the corner, Dhoni will have plenty of time to get his big hitting in order and guide India to another World Cup victory.