Dhoni should bat at No. 6…it’s that simple!

Tactically, the Indian team was found wanting at Rajkot. The host got its batting line-up wrong. Ahead of the key game at Chepauk, India has to set it right.

RIGHT CREDENTIALS: Given his reputation as the best Finisher of this generation, thanks to his running between the wickets and brute power, it is imperative that M.S. Dhoni wields his willow at No. 6.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni should bat No. 6 for India in the ODIs. This is the slot from where he has swung tight matches his team’s way. With a mind that is ticking, equanimity, running between the wickets and brute power, he is the best Finisher of this generation.

He is invariably alive at the Death, reading situations and controlling the flow of the game.

Dhoni coming out at No. 4 in the third ODI against South Africa in Rajkot did not suit the side’s needs. India was without a big hitter in the later half of the line-up. And Ajinkya Rahane is not cut out for the job at No. 6.

Tactically, the Indian team was found wanting at Rajkot. Simply put, the host got its batting line-up wrong. Ahead of the key game at Chepauk, India has to set it right.

It’s at No. 6 that a majority of Dhoni’s runs have come from; he has 3571 runs in 110 ODIs at 45.78. Crucially, he has the ability to bat with the tail and meticulously pick his time to strike.

The dynamics of batting in the last 10 overs are different following rule changes this year. Now five fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle for the final 60 deliveries of the innings.

It has become vital that a side not just has someone who rotates the strike but also clear the ropes during a phase when the boundaries are so well guarded. He may be 34, but Dhoni is still the man for India.

Generate the force

What sets him apart is the force he can generate with that fast bat-speed and powerful wrists. On pitches where there is not much seam movement, it is hard to bowl a line to Dhoni simply because he can pick a delivery from outside off and bludgeon it over mid-wicket.

And Dhoni’s range of strokes, the straighter blows over long-off and long-on and the flat-batted hits through covers can make it hard for captains to set a field.

Going back to Rahane, he is not of much value to the side at No. 6 since he would struggle to clear the field or find boundaries in the last 10 overs with five fielders outside the ring and the ball becoming older.

His batting is a lot about using the pace on the sphere and finding the gaps with rapier-like strokes. Unless Rahane bats in the top-order — the opening slots or No. 3 — his value to the ODI side is limited.

But then, this Indian side finds itself in a situation where Virat Kohli has to bat at No. 3. His comfort level at this position is high and India needs to give its premier ODI batsman the slot of his choice to dictate play and guide the innings. It is at No. 3 that Kohli has 4597 runs from 105 matches at a stunning 50.51.

India’s problems have been compounded by Suresh Raina’s — he lends much-needed variety to the middle-order with his left-handed ways — lack of form.

So a line-up where Raina surfaces at No 5, followed by Rahane and then a lower order without a trusted heavy-hitter does not inspire confidence. India lacked firepower towards the end of the innings in Rajkot.

The skipper has to come in at No. 6 to lend some balance and weight to the line-up.