MS Dhoni Should Bat At No. 3 in Suresh Raina's Absence, Says Gautam Gambhir

Former India batsman Gautam Gambhir believes that MS Dhoni should bat at the top of the order for Chennai Super Kings in this edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as their key player Suresh Raina wouldn’t take part which will be played in the UAE across three venues.

While speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Connected, Gambhir said: "It will be a good opportunity for MS Dhoni to come and bat at No. 3. And he has been away from the game for the last one year, so he would end up getting a lot more balls to face and then he can actually play the anchor innings as well which he has been doing for India for the last couple of years.”

"So, MS Dhoni at No. 3 and then they have got depth with Kedar Jadhav, Dwayne Bravo, Sam Curran, all those guys they can come in. So, I think it is going to be a great opportunity for someone like MS Dhoni and I am sure he is going to relish that. Also, Suresh Raina not being there, you want to have some experienced player batting at No. 3, so it could be MS Dhoni now," further added Gautam Gambhir.

The 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) will start on September 19 and the 53-day tournament will end on November 10. However, the schedule is yet to be announced as well.

Notably, former India captain MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina announced their retirement from international cricket on August 15, but Dhoni will be seen leading Chennai Super Kings in the cash-rich league.

Meanwhile, Suresh Raina felt claustrophobic in the bio-secure bubble, after 13 members from CSK tested positive for COVID-19. And, Outlook also reported that he had an issue with the team management as well. He has so far played 164 matches in yellow and he is also their highest ever run-scorer as well.