Australia vs India 3rd odi Cricket match live
Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh in the Indian ranks, Dhoni had said it was natural he should bat at number five and Gavaskar agreed with it.
"I think he (Dhoni) has no place in the top order. You have Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar at the top and Gautam Gambhir comes next. Yuvraj Singh is at his best at number four and so Dhoni comes after him," Gavaskar said here.
"The important thing about the debate was good players should face more overs and he (Dhoni) was batting as a floater for some time. And I think he will bat according to the situation," he said on the sidelines of the 'Hindustan Times Leadership Summit'.
Gavaskar also felt that former captain Rahul Dravid got the axe in the one-day series against Australia as he had got into the Sri Lanka and Champions Trophy squad as cover for Sehwag, who was injured then.
"Dravid was in the Champions Trophy squad as a cover for Sehwag as the selectors wanted a senior player as replacement.
Once Sehwag recovered the selectors dropped him. Moreover, Yuvraj, who was injured in South Africa before the Champions Trophy, also recovered and Dravid had no place in the team," he added. .
Gavaskar also lauded Sachin Tendulkar, who would complete 20 years of international cricket next month, for his commitment to the game.
"It is a tremendous achievement to be able to play for 20 years consistently. Even after 20 years he is still child at heart. He has still got the enthusiasm of a child and is still hungry to perform after playing for so many years," he said.
New Zealand fast bowling great Sir Richard Hadlee felt the hallmark of a great player was how he performed abroad and how fast he comes out of a lean patch, and Tendulkar was excellent on both counts.