Dhoni must overcome deathly shallows if CSK is to win endgame

If it was sheer luck that Chennai have managed to sneak past the league stage for the fifth successive time,Dhoni will hope some of it rubs on to his batting as well.

Even within Chennai’s misfiring batting line-up,Dhoni’s lack of numbers seems conspicuous. His 269 runs have come at an average of 24.45 and strike rate of 112.55,a huge climbdown from his overall IPL figures (36.04,133.7). Also,his inability to find the boundary so late in the innings has surely affected CSK’s fortunes.

Waiting game

Dhoni’s plodding ways have also kept the other big hitters back until too late. Albie Morkel and Ravindra Jadeja have played 29 matches put together this season,but have faced just 216 balls in total — the equivalent of seven deliveries each per match,on average. The captain has had more time at the crease,but is yet to make efficient use of it so far — fashioning just around one-third of his runs in boundaries this season. The corresponding figure for Kieron Pollard is 66 per cent,and 75 for Dwayne Smith — both of whom bat at No. 5 or lower. That’s a big concern,considering that these men with fearsome numbers will pad up against Chennai on Wednesday.

Just like when Chennai last played Mumbai in the league,the defending champions face the prospect of coming out second best in both the death battles. In the league game at the Wankhede,Chennai were headed for an impressive score until they lost five wickets in the final 14 balls,managing just 15 runs. In the corresponding period at the end of the second innings,Smith savaged Ben Hilfenhaus for the 14 required of the final three deliveries. Lasith Malinga,who had sent down Mumbai’s last over earlier in the evening,had gone for four runs,picking up two wickets.

After an over in the powerplay to keep the batsmen in check,Harbhajan Singh has preserved Malinga (16 of his 22 wickets have come during or beyond the 17th over of an innings) exclusively for the death,and it is this — a reliable bowling option at the end overs — that Chennai have missed badly this season.

When Doug Bollinger departed midway through the season,Dhoni probably lost his best death exponent. Hilfenhaus has been able to fill in with the new ball,but still hasn’t hit the right lengths in the final overs.

Limited options

With spin experiments having proven costly for CSK at the death,the only other pace option Dhoni has at his disposal — to pair Hilfenhaus with — is Nuwan Kulasekara. But being an international,his selection would call for a big reshuffle of the eleven. Chennai’s resources are stretched,but the situation is far from hopeless. Perhaps Dhoni’s inclination to keep the left-right combination going come what may,could give way to promoting batsmen on the basis of the demands of the situation — this might help Dhoni reconsider how high or low he would want to bat. With the ball,he could use his medium pacers in sparing bursts,ensuring that the opposition do not get to face more than an over each of Morkel or Bravo at the death.

Dhoni’s stock line when speaking of the death overs is the ‘ability to executing plans.’ But on Wednesday,a lot may well depend on whether he can summon the right personnel to do so in the few decisive overs at the end of either innings.

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