MS Dhoni needs to play a pivotal role in Asia Cup

Well before India begin their campaign to defend their Asia Cup title, all the focus has been on the batting slots around MS Dhoni, i.e. for No 4 and 6. This is as per the layman assumption that MS Dhoni will come out to bat at No 5., though I would like him to bat higher up at No. 4. Inspite of no focus on him and his batting, his role in the middle order shall be pivotal for Team India's success irrespective how the likes of Ambati Rayudus and Dinesh Karthiks play.

For two reasons, Dhoni should bat higher up the order. His big hitting prowess is on the wane, and going by what Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik can manage with their ability to hit the ball long and cheeky, for sure Dhoni should come ahead of the trio. Also, if the big ticket wickets of Rohit and Dhawan fall early (Pakistan's bowling attack is quite ominous), a mid innings revival is most suited to Dhoni's style of batting these days. He still is the best runner on the 22 yard strip, loves to rotate the strike, and will lend stability to the innings not giving the likes of Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan or even Rashid Khan the opportunity to run through the less tested middle order. I know Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey and Dinesh Karthik maybe auditioning for the No. 4 slot, but there is a tournament going on and these are no practice matches !. And, despite what critics might think of Dhoni or Rahane both have been very consistent. Look at the numbers for 2017 and 2018. I picked these numbers from Cricinfo. Apologise for the shabby graphics ;)

ODI Batting Statistics (2017/ YTD 2018): MS Dhoni stands out beyond the Top 3

While the top 3 (Kohli, Rohit and Dhawan) are way ahead of the rest, amongst the others Dhoni has been the most consistent. In the absence of Ajinkya Rahane or Yuvraj Singh (not bad numbers either, except that the columns for 50s leaves much to be desired), it would be a good ploy to send Dhoni at 4, and keep Ambati Rayudu at 3. Maybe audition Kedar, Manish and Karthik for 5 and 6. 

I feel as the tournament progresses, the wicket will get slower and the spinners of all opposition sides will be very handy. You may not get your big shots after all, and it is here that Dhoni's strike rotating abilities will come handy. Whether he bats at 4 or 5, his quick run a ball, no fireworks innings will still be worth in gold ! Ofcourse, we wont mind the odd big tonk, especially over the long on boundary ! Best of luck to him !