Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has claimed that MS Dhoni’s presence in CSK is for brand value and not actual cricketing value. His remarks come after the outrage over the ex-CSK skipper coming out to bat at number 9 against RCB. Dhoni batted below the likes of Jadeja and Ashwin in the contest in which CSK ended up losing by 50 runs.
Manjrekar’s scathing take on Dhoni in CSK
Speaking on Kuhl Fans Match Centre live on JioHotstar, Manjrekar opined that Dhoni would still score runs no matter if he bats at number 8, 9 or 10. He claimed that the team wasn’t relying on the former skipper to score runs but were rather dependent on other players.
“I continue to maintain my stance this season that Dhoni’s presence in the team is more for brand value than actual cricketing value. That is the decision CSK has taken—he brings in the crowd and has an enormous following. If Dhoni chooses to bat at No. 8, he will still contribute some runs,” Manjrekar said.
“However, I don’t think CSK is relying on Dhoni’s batting contributions; they are expecting the other players to do the job. That said, his wicket keeping remains top-notch,” he added.
With his 30-run cameo vs RCB, Dhoni overtook Suresh Raina to become CSK’s leading run-getter in the IPL. A vintage MSD turned back the clock to score 30 at a strike-rate of 187.50 in an innings studded with 3 fours and 2 sixes.
Earlier this week, Sehwag had made a claim similar to Manjrekar’s, opining that the team had decided that Dhoni would only face a specific number of deliveries in a match.
The team would have decided that Dhoni will play only so many deliveries. It wasn’t surprising,” Sehwag said.
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