Mumbai, Oct. 27: Former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist — one of the world’s most destructive opener in ODIs over the last decade — believes Team India will benefit if skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni bats higher up the order.

"I feel Dhoni is a dangerous batsman, a hard hitter and paces his innings well. I would love to see him bat up the order. In the abbreviated version of the game, you want your best players facing as many deliveries as possible to give them the maximum time to succeed and contribute," said Gilchrist, who was in the city to promote the University of Wollongong. "I would encourage him to play his natural game and trust his instincts. He has also shown himself to be a good finisher, which is a different skill but we’ve got to give him credit. He’s either built big totals or chased down big scores by coming in later on," he added

The Deccan Chargers skipper believes injuries to Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and James Hopes could hamper Australian prospects in the second ODI at Nagpur.

"I think it’s a big blow, there is no doubt about that. India have also felt the absence of Yuvraj Singh and they will love to have him back in the team. While the injuries are a significant blow, I’m sure there are other guys who can step up for Australia," said Gilchrist

Even though Australians won the first ODI at Baroda, Gilly feels India can still bounce back. "I believe this series is not going to be easy for any team. Both Australia and India are tough teams and won’t give in easily. Yuvraj’s return to the Indian team would give them depth and strengthen the batting order," he said.

On Chargers teammate Rohit Sharma, he said, "I am a huge fan of Rohit, he is a fun guy to be with. He has to grow as a cricketer but I don’t doubt his skills and determination to do well."

According to Gilchrist, the players to watch out for in this series are Ishant Sharma and Harbhajan Singh from India, and Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey from Australia.