Mahendra Singh Dhoni Says A Proper Batsman at Number Seven is Required in ODIs

Following India's loss in the third ODI at Rajkot, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had stated that he wanted to improvise the batting order according to the situation. The team were struggling to close the innings out and he admitted that numbers five, six and seven in the batting order needed to contribute. (MS Dhoni: India Did Well In All Departments)

"The batsmen will get experience batting down the order as I feel at times the Indian batting order gets quite rigid. When you bat down the order you will know what are the difficulties. When you are looking to play the big shots, you have to back yourself and say I can't mistime this. These are the pressures you experience batting down the order," Dhoni had remarked following the loss. (MS Dhoni Plays for India, Not for Critics: Gavaskar)

Ahead of the do-or-die encounter against South Africa in Mumbai on Sunday, Dhoni has once again reiterated that with the change in ODI rules, a proper batsman at number seven is required.

"You need to have someone who can bat at No 7. If the opposition gets two wickets with the new ball, then there is a lot of pressure on the middle-order. With the rule changes, the batsmen who come after the 40th over, will find it difficult to play the big shots straight away. From 40th to 50th over, it's not easy to just go in and slam the big shots and get 80-90 runs. So you need someone who can bat at No 7 and deal with the situation," Dhoni said while speaking to Times of India.

The previous ODI rules had stated that only four fielders would be allowed outside the circle during the final overs. This resulted in a run-feast towards the end, with batsmen scoring double centuries and teams breaching the 400-run mark with alarming ease. However, with the rules now allowing five fielders outside the circle, the bowlers have gotten some respite and they are able to control the runs at the end. Dhoni believes that with the bowlers pulling their game up, the batsmen who come at the end must also respond.

Looking ahead for the rest of the series, Dhoni remarked that India must play to their strength and he insisted that the heavy roller must be done away with during Test matches. He said that the heavy roller was making life tough for the spinners as it made the pitch flat and slow.

"When you come to the subcontinent, you expect turning tracks. You want the ball to turn, so that it becomes a challenge. It's not like if it spins, we won't get out," Dhoni said.

The Indian skipper will be aiming to prolong South Africa's misery on Indian soil. The Proteas have never won a bilateral ODI series and India will be aware of this fact.