Published 21:38 IST, September 27th 2020
Ajay Jadeja unhappy with MSD's batting position, says 'Wars are not won from behind'
Former Indian batsman Ajay Jadeja said that wars are not won from behind and that MSD should come higher up the order to take control of the innings
Unhappy with MS Dhoni's batting position, Former Indian batsman Ajay Jadeja said that wars are not won from behind and that MSD should come higher up the order to take control of the innings. Two consecutive defeats have left Chennai reeling and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is contemplating rejigging the combination.
Speaking at a cricket show, Jadeja said that the one who fights from the front has a better chance of winning the battle.
”I would again say the same thing. I am not happy with MS Dhoni’s batting position. No war is won while fighting from behind. There’s a saying in the Army that a war concludes when the General steps out. In cricket, I believe that the one who fights from the front has a better chance of winning the battle. If you have soldiers who can win the battle for you and you can only work towards strategizing the war, that’s a different scenario. But doesn’t look like the case here,” Ajay Jadeja said.
Expressing distress over MS Dhoni's form, Jadeja said that Dhoni’s current form with the bat could be a taint on his legacy.
Chennai falter in run-chase
Chennai, one of the most dominant teams in the history of IPL, have lost two of the three games they have played with the latest being a 44-run thrashing at the hands of Delhi.
After being put in to bat by Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, openers Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan added 94 runs for the opening wicket before Dhawan was trapped plumb in front of the wicket. Shaw and skipper Shreyas Iyer then rebuilt for Delhi. The young opener looked in great touch and at one point, it seemed that he would single-handedly take his team to a formidable total. However, that was not to be as he was outfoxed by veteran leggie Piyush Chawla for a stellar 64 (43).
The Chennai batsmen failed to apply themselves as openers Shane Watson and Murali Vijay were dismissed before the Powerplay overs. Spinners Amit Mishra and Axar Patel made things difficult for the batsmen and even though Kedar Jadhav and Faf du Plessis added 54 runs for the fourth-wicket stand, they failed to keep up with the required run-rate as it kept on getting steeper and once Faf was dismissed, all Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja could do was delay the inevitable as they looked to reduce their deficit taking the Net-Run-Rate (NRR) into consideration. Jadeja was dismissed on the final ball of the match as the three-time winners were restricted to 131/7 in their 20 overs.
Updated 21:38 IST, September 27th 2020