Dhoni should bat up the order: Gilchrist

NEW DELHI: Former Australian skipper Adam Gilchrist has backed Sourav Ganguly's suggestion that Indian captain MS Dhoni should bat up the order
and give himself more overs to play. While addressing the media, Gilly reiterated the fact that MSD is a good finisher and that he should bat at no.3 to giver him a chance to play his natural game.

Gilchrist said, "Dhoni is such a dangerous batsman. I would love to see him bat up the order, particularly in the shorter version of the game. You want your best players to face the maximum deliveries. But Dhoni has a lot on his plate at the moment, which is understandable. However, I would encourage him to play his natural game and trust his instincts."

When asked about the blow for the Aussies with the like of Lee, Hopes and Johnson being injured, Gilchrist said that any kind of injury is a blow to the team. He said that the feeling would be similar to how India felt when Yuvraj Singh was left out due to an injury.

Gilchrist's statement on Dhoni comes just a day after the former Indian captain Ganguly, while speaking exclusively to Times Now said that Dhoni needs to bat up the order because it is not possible for any batsman to come down the order and just have a go. He added, "Dhoni should bat at no.3 so that he gets time to set his eye in. His value in the team is much more and he should come to bat when there are atleast 30-35 overs left in the game."