By Ayanjit Sen

Dhoni's technique and temperament have been lauded

Indian fans will find it a healthy sign that their team is notching up huge totals almost at ease and beating Sri Lanka comprehensively in the ongoing one-day series.

But the Indian batting order, which usually rests on the shoulders of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, has taken on a new dimension in the form of Mahendra Dhoni, Irfan Pathan and Jai Prakash Yadav.

Promoting players up the batting order has paid rich dividends so far - and the critical position has been at number three, where Pathan, Yadav and Dhoni have all been given a chance to impress thus far.

A blistering 183 not out by Dhoni in the third match, the highest score by any wicket-keeper on one-day internationals, was compared by captain Rahul Dravid to an innings played by Sachin Tendulkar some years ago in Sharjah.

Former Indian wicket-keeper Vijay Yadav told BBC Sport: "I think it was a calculated risk taken by the team management. Dhoni's technique, temperament and willingness to stay at the crease was unmatched.

"The changes in the team batting order more than a decade ago lacked a well thought-out plan.

"The innings played by Dhoni would have been termed as a fluke then. But now, the promotion of Pathan, Dhoni and Yadav in the batting order has been part of a planned strategy."

Dhoni was a good choice but there was no reason to send Pathan and Yadav so high up in the batting order Chetan Chauhan

Pathan's growth as a potential all-rounder got a boost with his knock of 83 off just 70 balls with eight fours and four sixes in Nagpur.

But it was completely overshadowed by Dhoni's performance in Jaipur when he hit the ball to any part of the ground he cared, much to the dismay of the Sri Lankan bowlers.

Speaking about the changes in the batting order, Indian captain Dravid, said: "The important thing is that we have put different people in different positions, and they have all responded magnificently, which gives us a lot of options.

"The idea is to be flexible in your thinking and approach, so that we can go forward, but for that we must have the people who can do different roles, and fortunately we have the personnel now."

These changes in the batting order suggest that India is keen to invest in a form of 'total cricket', especially looking forward to the 2007 World Cup.

Pathan has shown his batting prowess in the past

However, some experts say these experiments can prove costly to the specialist batsmen.

One critic of the new system is former Indian opening batsman Chetan Chauhan.

He told BBC Sport: "Dhoni was a good choice, but there was no reason to send Pathan and Yadav so high up in the batting order.

"There are young talented players like Venugopal Rao and Suresh Raina, who are not getting enough chances to show their talents.

Chauhan says these batsmen risk being deprived of important batting time after the re-entry of a player like Mohammad Kaif, who is currently injured.

"If such changes are made constantly, then what is the need for choosing a specialist batsman? You can have anybody batting and bowling at any number they want," said Chauhan.

There will inevitably be some who find it hard to accept the changing times in Indian one-day batting, but for now the fans are certainly not complaining.