‘Too much chopping and changing’: Anil Kumble opines on India’s experiments and MS Dhoni’s batting position

Former India Test captain and head coach Anil Kumble expressed that there has been too much of chopping and changing done by the Indian team to find the best number four, five and six batsmen. Kumble feels that the legendary MS Dhoni should bat at number four in the World Cup.

“If you look back at the last couple of years of success that the Indian team has had, it has been mainly due to the fact that the top three have performed consistently, and it still remains so. In a 50-over game, you want your top three to contribute. For me, I still believe MS Dhoni should bat at 4. (Numbers) 5, 6 and 7 is something that you need to start thinking about and that’s where I felt that there was too much chopping, changing and trying to figure out who will fit in into that 4, 5 or 6 in that middle order other than MS Dhoni. That to me has made it a little more unsettling for us, watching from outside,” Kumble told Cricket Next.

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Kumble said that the middle order players hasn’t been given enough opportunities in the matches leading up to the World Cup.

“What if the top three don’t fire in an important game, say a semi-final or a final? Then you need the back-ups to stand up and do it and that’s where I believe that the middle order hasn’t been given enough opportunities leading up to the World Cup and haven’t been consistent with the players that have been selected in that middle order.

So, I’d like to probably continue that and like I said, for me the top four will win you 70-80% of matches and ideally your top four need to have that quality and that’s why I’m keen that someone like MS Dhoni bats at four and manages the middle order, rather than coming in where he has to not just manage the middle order but also keep up with the run chase, that’s something I would want to see,” said Kumble.