Why MS Dhoni should stay at number five

India won the second ODI today by six wickets in an imposing performance against hosts Australia. Chasing 299 for a victory at the Adelaide Oval after a Shaun Marsh hundred, India scored the required runs easily with two balls to spare, with all of the top order except for Ambati Rayudu, contributing impressively.

After a typical Virat Kohli hundred, it was MS Dhoni who turned back the clock back in time by hitting a last over six, thereby drawing the series at 1-1 before going into the final ODI at Melbourne. Kohli rightly said that the innings was an MS classic.

We will analyse the way Dhoni went about his innings today. He came in at the end of 30th over when the team was in a tight spot and the match could have gone either way. Another wicket and the pressure on the Indian batsmen, especially Kohli, to take the team towards the win, would have been immense. In such a situation, Dhoni came in at number 5, played cautiously along with Kohli and changed gears after the captain's departure to take the role of a finisher.

Had Dhoni played at number 4 today, the position where Rohit wanted him to play, the outcome could have been different. A wicket of Dhoni there before the 30th over and the Indian batsmen would have succumbed to the pressure due to the lack of experience in building an innings in crunch situations.

Hence, playing Dhoni at number five would be the right decision as it gives him not less, not more, but the exact amount of time that he needs in order to settle down and play his natural game. Doing so would enable him to play a supporting role to the top order batsmen as well as an anchor role to lead the inexperienced middle and lower order Indian batsmen.

Someone like Dinesh Karthik or a Rishabh Pant can fill the slot of a number six, a batsman who can provide quick runs without indulging in much risk-taking. If the batting positions are interchanged, it would disturb the entire set up as Pant or Karthik are well tailored to score quick runs than to play long innings for 20-30 overs.

As Dhoni is definitely in India's World Cup plans, they would definitely want him to excel not just as a wicket-keeper but also as a batsman. It is possible if Dhoni takes the number five position and makes it his own. The stats too, do not lie. By batting at number five today, Dhoni has today scored a half-century at more than a strike-rate of 100, a first of its sort in ODIs for him, since 2016.

Thus, it is well evident that Dhoni batting at the bridge between the top order and the lower middle order is a very vital element as far as India's batting successes in the World Cup are considered. It would only make sense to have him stay there in the near future.