A tale of two No. 5s
If there is a common thread that unites India and South Africa in the ongoing ODI series, it’s the worrying slump in form of their lower- middle order batsmen. While Proteas coach Russell Domingo made his concern about David Miller’s form public, India skipper M. S. Dhoni threw his weight behind under- pressure Suresh Raina.
With scores of 6,33, 0 & 13, Miller has been a pale shadow of himself since the ODI series began. Raina, however, has made some damage control with a vital 53 in Chennai after back- to- back ducks in Indore and Rajkot.
The no. 5 and no. 6 spots in ODIs have become complicated, especially after the introduction of new rules that allow one extra fielder in the last 10 overs. Domingo said the team management has to be patient with players when they are under pressure. “We have to give them more time, particularly in India because it is the hardest place to bat. They often come in with three or four overs to play and if you get caught on the boundary people say you are out of form. If you come in with 25 overs to go and the team is four down and you come in and get a good nut, people say you are out of form. So it’s a very difficult position,” he added.
After his unbeaten hundred against Zimbabwe in the league and a fifty against Bangladesh in the quarterfinal of the 2015 World Cup, Raina has been grappling with a dip in form. In Chennai, Dhoni promoted Raina ahead of him to bat at No. 5 and the lefthander responded well by stitching a 127- run stand with Virat Kohli.
Though Dhoni acknowledged that it was important to have Raina among runs, he offered his full backing to his teammate. “It’s better if Raina scores runs, otherwise you guys would be preparing an article saying where he should bat or who should replace him in the side. Yes, he made a few bad decisions when it comes to playing shots ( in the previous ODIs). I think he played those big shots too early. When it pays off, it would look good and when it doesn’t, people would criticise that,” Dhoni added. “Batting at 5, 6 and 7 is not easy anymore. If I go in to bat in the last five overs, I can’t expect myself to score 50 runs. But at the same time, I would back myself to score at least 30 runs. To achieve that, I have to play a minimum of 18 deliveries,” he explained.