All posts tagged: Aakash Chopra on dhoni batting after ashwin

Robin Uthappa on Dhoni batting at No 9

Robin Uthappa on Dhoni batting at No 9

There has been plenty of debate over Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s position on the Chennai Super Kings batting order after he came in to bat at No 9 against Royal Challangers Bengaluru. He batted at No 7 against the Rajasthan Royals when he scored just 16 runs off 11 balls. CSK fell short by 50 runs against RCB and by six runs versus RR. Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa also said he was struggling to understand the reasoning behind Dhoni batting at No 9. Asked how he felt about Dhoni batting at No 9, Uthappa said: Frustrated. F*****g frustrated. What the f**k is going on, dude! He might as well have (batted even lower than No 9). It wouldn’t have made a difference. I would say ‘befuddlement’ is too weak a term. What the heck! Like what is the thinking? Because you know you’re not going to win the game by the time he’s coming to bat. By the time (Ravichandran) Ashwin’s coming to bat, you know that you have less than a slim chance of …

‘I can only imagine how intimidating it must be’

‘I can only imagine how intimidating it must be’

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was not able to take the Chennai Super Kings to victory over the Rajasthan Royals as CSK lost by six runs in an Indian Premier League game on Sunday evening in Guwahati. Dhoni had walked out in the 16th over with CSK needing 54 runs for victory off 25 balls. Dhoni hit a six and a four before losing his wicket with 16 runs off 11 balls on the night. New Zealand cricket legend Kane Willaimson heaped praise on Dhoni’s aura, especially when he walked in to bat for CSK at Guwahati. While the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati was Rajasthan Royals’ home stadium, plenty of fans were spotted wearing the yellow jerseys of Chennai. Reflecting on the electrifying atmosphere when MS Dhoni walked out to bat, Kane Williamson said on JioStar after the game: “The fact that Chennai Super Kings were playing an away match, yet the entire crowd was dressed in yellow, was just incredible. We’ve seen this so many times before. I felt like it was written in the …

Robin Uthappa on Dhoni batting at No 9

CSK coach Stephen Fleming explains star’s batting order arrivals

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coach Stephen Fleming has explained to the team’s faithful that they should not expect former captain and all-time team talisman Mahendra Singh Dhoni to walk in to bat around the 9th or 10th over mark in the Indian Premier League 2025. Dhoni managed to score just 16 runs off 11 balls in the Chennai team’s chase of 183 at Guwahati against the Rajasthan Royals. CSK fell short by six runs versus RR. Dhoni did bat up the order in the Rajasthan Royals compared the game against Royal Challangers Bengaluru where he had come in at No 9. After the defeat to Rajasthan Royals, CSK coach Stephen Fleming explained the team management’s decision-making process behind Dhoni coming in later than most pundits and fans were expecting him to. “Yeah, it’s a time thing. MS judges it. His body is… his knees aren’t what they used to be. And he’s moving okay, but there’s still an attrition aspect to it. He can’t bat ten overs running full stick. So he will gauge on …

Robin Uthappa on Dhoni batting at No 9

Aakash Chopra on CSK’s strange move

Chennai Super Kings lost their Indian Premier League clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru by a whopping margin of 50 runs on Friday. Dhoni walked in to bat with the score reading 99/7 after 15.2 overs. At that stage, the Chennai Super Kings still needed 98 runs in 28 balls for victory. But what was a little intriguing for fans was that CSK management had opted to send Ravichandran Ashwin above Dhoni with the game on the line. In fact, Dhoni was sent in as the No 9 batter by CSK. “CSK fans really love the sight of Dhoni walking into the middle and smashing sixes. But CSK fans must also want their team to win. And with the kind of hitting form that Dhoni has shown off-late, it’s only logical to expect him to give himself enough time to win games for CSK. Ashwin ahead of Dhoni vs RCB didn’t make sense,” former cricketer-turned-analyst Aakash Chopra posted on X. Ashwin had walked in to bat in the 13th over after Shivam Dube’s wicket when …