MSD shouldn't bat lower than 5; Karthik shouldn't have quit as skipper

Ajit Agarkar. Picture/Suresh Karkera

Former Indian cricketer Ajit Agarkar recently had a tete-a-tete session online and went on to address quite a few questions pertaining to the ongoing IPL 2020 season. Agarkar, a former pacer with Team India, talked about his reservations regarding Dinesh Kaarthik stepping down as captain for Kolkata Knight Riders, making way for Eoin Morgan.

Speaking exclusively on Star Sports' #FANWEEK, former India pacer Ajit Agarkar answers some interesting fan questions on the Dream11 IPL 2020 about KKR & MS Dhoni

Do you think it is a wise move from KKR and DK to hand over captaincy to Eoin Morgan mid-season?
Agarkar: "I don't think replacing Dinesh Karthik after seven games when you're sitting fourth in the table is the right move in my opinion. It does add to the disruption of the team and you could see the way they performed against Mumbai Indians, even though it was a tough game. I don't think it was a right move. You make plans with a certain captain through the course of the year and in spite of sitting fourth on the table, it was a very strange move for me."

What should be the right position for MS Dhoni to bat at?
Agarkar: "In my opinion, MS Dhoni shouldn't be batting lower than No.5. It will obviously depend on what the situation is, but the lowest, he should go is No.5. He is arguably one of the greatest cricketing brains to ever play the game. He can see things and assess situations which other players can't and you can see, as the tournament progress, his form's getting better as well. So, he shouldn't be batting lower than No.5 for me."

What do you think about the playing 11 at KKR, should there be some changes?
Agarkar: "Couple of things KKR could look at, in my opinion. Certainly, try and get Kuldeep Yadav involved. I am a bit surprised that he hasn't played more in this year's competition. He can be a match winner on his day and the pitches have started to slow down, which might help him more. The other one is Lockie Ferguson, he's got the kind of ability and pace, which can get you wickets, which KKR desperately needs. That's the other change I would be looking at."

In the 10 matches MS Dhoni has played at the Indian Premier League 2020 season, he has scored 164 runs at an average of 27.33 and strike rate of 125.19. His top score is 47'.

Meanwhile, KKR's Dinesh Karthik has also played 10 matches, but scored 145 runs at an average of 16.11. His top score is 58.

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