"You had said you are playing for the fans, then fans want to see you spend more time"- Irfan Pathan calls for MS Dhoni to bat higher in CSK-RCB clash

Former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan has urged MS Dhoni to bat up the order in Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) crucial league-stage finale against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Saturday, May 18. Despite being in tremendous ball-striking form, Dhoni has faced only 60 balls in 13 matches thus far this season.

The 42-year-old boasts an incredible strike rate of 226.66, helping CSK finish the innings strong. However, Dhoni has been struggling with a knee injury despite undergoing surgery during the last off-season, resulting in him often coming to bat only for the final two overs of CSK's innings.

In a conversation with Star Sports, Pathan said:

"It is not that he is not running for runs. He is running and when two can be scored he runs with the same intenity and looks good. Then why not? You had said that you are playing for the fans, then fans want to see you spend more time on the pitch with the bat. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's batting is not the same as it used to be during his peak, when he was 32-33 years old."

"Here there is a knee issue; He has been playing for so long and faced so many problems along the way. He knows that in the last 2-3 years he hasn't played big innings. He used to come to bat during the 12th-13th over, but he is not now. He has accepted and we should accept it too. But we can only hope. He is not coming up the order to preserve his knee. Still I want him to bat more with the form he is in," he added.

Dhoni relinquished CSK captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad a day before the start of the 2024 season, leading to speculations of this being his farewell in the IPL.

The veteran wicketkeeper led the franchise to their record-equaling fifth IPL title last season.

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"He should take the responsibility and come to bat up the order" - Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan felt Dhoni is one of the leaders within the CSK setup even if not the official captain and should take responsibility for batting up the order against RCB.

The CSK-RCB clash is a virtual quarterfinal for the 4th and final playoff spot. While a win will suffice for CSK to ensure qualification, RCB need to win by an 18-run margin or complete their chase in 18.1 overs to qualify.

"Even though he is not officially captain of the side, still he is one of the leaders of the team. So taking all situations into account, he should take the responsibility and come to bat up the order. He was not in form the last two seasons. But this year, his hitting form is brilliant. He won't get a better pitch than Bengaluru. And the bowling of RCB is also not upto the mark," said Pathan.

The two teams met in the season opener, with CSK emerging victorious by six wickets at Chennai.

RCB have won their last five outings, while CSK defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their previous encounter.