Indeed they are - as an top-three batsman you've got a ghost of a chance of averaging 40; as a lower-middle-order batsman you've virtually no chance of doing so. The precious few people who have thus deserve recognition as special players, in my book.
Openers also get most of the Powerplays (for most of Gilchrist's career the only Powerplay came at the start of the innings) while middle-order batsmen only very rarely get much Powerplay. It is also far from guaranteed that new-ball is the most difficult time to bat - there are plenty of occasions when it's the best. Especially in the subcontinent.
As SS said, even when you consider the not outs as outs of Dhoni, he averages more. The difference of 14 is plenty. Dhoni can rotate the strike in the middle overs and bludgeon it in the later overs. You have other explosive openers to replace Gilly but there is hardly a player like Dhoni (who is a wicket keeper as well) who has played ODI cricket. Over all Gilchrist>Dhoni at the moment but some would still pick Dhoni to make a stronger XI even right now. Bevan and Dhoni coming in later on is just mouth watering.
Even Bevan didn't have half the strike-rotating skill that Dhoni does tbh. You could attribute that to his era but it wouldn't make it any less true.
Revisionism, tbh. And I hated Bevvo.
Don't agree?
Interested to hear how you came to that conclusion. By your own previously given timelines I've tended to presume you didn't watch much if any of Bevan?
I presume you hated "Bevvo" because you thought him a **** (or was it just that he beat SA once?) rather than because you thought him an inadaquete OD batsman?
not even close...barring the occasional spectacular flourishes, gilchrist was a wash as a one day opener, there are quite a few other players who have better credentials as odi openers..
So can Dhoni, tbf.
Only that there's much between them. Hard to say who's better, I reckon. They both continue what Miandad started but add boundary-hitting to it (Dhoni a heavier hitter, though). Both can be quite unorthodox when trying to pierce/go over the field too. I'd only give it to Bevvo right now because he did it for so long and did it in some big tournaments in some awfully rough situations.
Haha, never forgave him for leaving SA. He and Lehmann were supposed to be the next generation for SA. Painful memories, tbh.
Dhoni can't rotate the strike as well as Bevan IMO though Dhoni is the better four hitter at the death. Over all, I don't know who is the better finisher though. You can think Dhoni to be the better finisher - that is a perfectly fine outlook.
You know I never even knew Bevan left SA. Until now thought he was born-and-bred NSW.
It's not an easy call by any means. But what Dhoni did today just wasn't really in Bevan's armory (beat his ODI high score, incidentally), and for me that gives him the edge.
Canberra-born, as a matter of fact. Came to SA to get a game early doors then was lured back by the evil Waugh twins.