MS Dhoni On Batting Position: Team Is More Important Than Individual

One of the everlasting images of Indian cricket was that of Mahendra Singh Dhoni hitting a six to finish off the 2011 ICC World Cup at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium and give India the elusive crown after a span of 28 years. Over the years, Dhoni has been one of the best finishers in the business, having often rescued India from many hopeless situations to pull off near impossible wins. Many a time as captain, he had come down the order and sent players in ahead of him, confident of his striking power if acceleration was need late in the innings.

When he was brought in the limelight by Sourav Ganguly, Dhoni, with his flowing hair and iron wrists while batting, soon became a cult figure in Indian cricket, made that much more immortal by his helicopter shot.

But behind all the flamboyance is a thinking mind that knows how to the play the game and if need be, change positions as a batsman, the ultimate aim being winning the game.

"Since I was the captain, I wanted to take added responsibility of playing lower down the order," Dhoni said when asked about his changing his batting position in the Indian ODI side.

"I have no regrets. It has been a good journey" @msdhoni reflects on his career as captain #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/1FcT0R3KqJ

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 13, 2017

"I would have preferred batting at four but then if somebody is more comfortable at four, that gives our team more power. At the end of the day team is more important than individual."

"Whatever the demands of the team, I am ready to bat there," he added.

Dhoni has often allowed players who take a little longer to settle time ahead of him, sure in his abilities to convert his chances while coming in towards the end of the innings. This is something that has borne much fruit for India in the limited-overs format.

(With PTI inputs)