India, April 1 -- Former West Indies batter Chris Gayle, on Tuesday, jumped to MS Dhoni's defence as the India legend faced criticism for his new role in the Chennai Super Kings setup after he walked out to bat at No. 9 in the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Gayle sent a sharp warning to Dhoni's critics as he urged the former Chennai captain to extend his IPL stint even amid the growing calls for retirement.

Dhoni has been subject to criticism since walking out to bat at No. 9 for Chennai last Friday at the Chepauk, where he smashed a fiery 16-ball 30*. Even though CSK head coach Stephen Fleming revealed that the reason behind the uncertainty over Dhoni's batting number was his continued struggle with a knee injury, for which ...