MS Dhoni came in at number six in the batting order. (Twitter) MS Dhoni came in at number six in the batting order. (Twitter)

What seemed like a tricky chase for India became an uphill task as their top-order collapsed like nine pins on day two of the first semifinal of World Cup 2019. It was for the first time that the top three batsmen were dismissed for scores of 1, 1, and 1 in an ODI inning.

The change in batting order was a good experiment but it meant Dhoni was batting out of position. It is something to think about — Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) September 28, 2017

When India lost three early wickets, all eyes were seeking the elusive MS Dhoni. ‘Where is Dhoni’ trended on Twitter as fans and pundits wondered could have led to him being pushed down the batting order. However, the man of the hour was busy examining his bat in the dressing room and cameras captured the moment on the big screen.

It is not without a reason that Dhoni gives India hope in tight run-chases. India won 92 per cent of the ODI games in which Dhoni was not out at the end.

India needed 169 runs to win at the fall of Pant’s wicket. There is only one instance of the last five wickets scoring that many runs in a World Cup run chase – 218 by Ireland vs England in Bengaluru during the 2011 World Cup (From 111/5 to 329/7).

Why team management don’t send dhoni for batting up to the order, he always comes when all other batsman get dismissed and required run rate is above 8 or 9 , and he has to play with lower batting order and always face criticism when India loss #AskStar — Shiv Guru (@ShivGur65777914) July 10, 2019

#AskStar

Who took decision of sending Dhoni so low in batting order? — Mrigendra Singh (@mrigendrarcom) July 10, 2019

Many people also suggested that Dhoni should have been promoted to deal with the chaos. It’s not something he’s done often, Dhoni has batted in the first Powerplay only on three occasions since the Champions Trophy in 2017.

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