Sydney: Former Australian chinaman Brad Hogg is not satisfied with the way Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has proceeded towards Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 as a batsman.
Dhoni moved himself down to no. 7 in both the games played so far. While CSK won their opener game against Delhi Capitals on September 19 because of Ambati Rayudu’s sparkling performance along with Faf du Plessis, the Yellow Army wanted Dhoni to step up against Steve Smith-led Rajasthan Royals too. But Dhoni did not bat up the order and CSK ended up losing against Rajasthan Royals by 16 runs.
Hogg believes that if Dhoni batted up the order, then CSK might have won the game. He feels that Dhoni’s lack of confidence in his batting is effecting his other squad members as well and that he has to step up and come early if CSK aims to win this seasons’ IPL.
“I am not happy with MS Dhoni’s confidence. He didn’t put himself in the pressure situation the other night because he wasn’t prepared for the tournament. And that for me does not give any confidence to the team and puts a dampener on the campaign. Especially when you haven’t got other leaders in the team like Harbhajan and Raina, as they could have taken a bit of the weight off his shoulders,” Hogg said in a video on his Instagram handle.
Hogg also said about Amit Mishra who did well in absence of Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin got injured in the first game against Kings XI Punjab in the opener game on September 20. While Delhi’s team management believe that he will is fit to play against CSK, Hogg feels that risking Ashwin will not be a good plan and that Mishra can play a crucial role in his absence.
“I wouldn’t risk Ravichandran Ashwin for the game against CSK. I would bring in Amit Mishra. Yes, you might lose a little bit with the bat but you will not lose anything with the ball. Mishra is the second leading wicket-taker in IPL history. I wouldn’t change the rest of the team to make this swap. I would give everyone the same roles as they had in the first game,” Hogg further added.
Delhi Capitals will play against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on September 29 in Abu Dhabi and CSK will be seen in action against SRH on October 2 in Dubai.
 on September 29 in Abu Dhabi and CSK will be seen in action against SRH on October 2 in Dubai.){kind=link}