Former India captain MS Dhoni is the greatest finisher of the game and he does not need to bat up the order, said former Australia cricketer Michael Clarke. While speaking on Star Sports ahead of the CSK vs KKR match, Clarke has said that Dhoni should continue to be the finisher for his side and other players can step up as well. Notably, Dhoni played a good cameo of 37* off just 16 balls as well.

“Which means he will have to come ahead of somebody like a Daryl Mitchell, Ravindra Jadeja or Shivam Dube. Is that the right call? I Wonder. May be not. I want him to replicate what he did last season. Few balls and maximum impact. And even in that match, when he got 30-odd, he got it in 16-17 balls. MS Dhoni’s strengths likes in his wicketkeeping, being a guide to Ruturaj and his cameos. Sending him at No. 3 or No. 4 may not be such a great idea,” Sanjay Manjrekar said while speaking on Star Sports.

While speaking on the same panel Clarke also said that it was the time that the youngsters in the CSK team stepped up, given these were the last years of Dhoni in action.

“You are spot on, Sanjay. He doesn’t need to. That’s never been his role in any format of the game. There might have been occasions when he goes up the order. But, generally, he is a finisher. He is probably the best finisher the game has ever seen. So he doesn’t have to change that. The other thing about having MS Dhoni in your team, that should give the players in front of him feel confident, and maybe take a few risks a little bit earlier. He has got enough jobs, and he has done it for a long period of time. It’s time for other players to step up,” Michael Clarke said while speaking on the same panel.

CSK will next take on KKR after losing back-to-back matches in the tournament as well.