Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni turned the clock back with a sensational performance to help his team hammer Delhi Capitals by 4 wickets.
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One mistake that no opposition can afford to make is taking Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni lightly. Dhoni was certainly in poor form going into Qualifier 1 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. However, the veteran showcased his capabilities and ability to deliver the goods under pressure yet again, smashing 18 runs from 6 deliveries to seal a triumph against Delhi Capitals (DC) by a margin of four wickets. Dhoni’s stellar performance has helped the Chennai-based franchise enter their ninth final in 12 seasons of the IPL, with the consistency quite incredible.
While the CSK skipper played an invaluable cameo down the order, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Robin Uthappa also deserve their fair share of the credit. Ruturaj smashed 70 runs off 50 deliveries in an innings comprising of five boundaries and two sixes, to help the Chennai-based franchise stay in contention during the chase of 173. Robin accumulated 63 runs from 44 balls, in a knock that included seven fours and two maximums. Tom Curran was the pick of the bowlers for DC, accounting for three dismissals.
“It was a crucial innings. They were using the bigger boundary very well. Nothing special, just watch the ball and hit the ball. I haven’t done a lot in the tournament. So you want to get that out of the system. If you are batting well in the nets, just look for the ball, what are the variations, where the bowler could bowl. Other than that there was nothing much in the mind. If there are too many things floating around, it becomes difficult to watch the ball,” said Dhoni as quoted by Cricbuzz.
“We are one side that hasn’t done that a lot (about sending others over Jadeja). Even with Deepak we bat till 9. With the way Shardul has been batting recently or even Deepak, both can contribute. When a batsman goes in, he will think twice before hitting the first ball for a boundary, but if a Shardul or a Deepak goes in, they can look to get a boundary from the first ball. And even they get one or two hits away, it could be a big impact because the run difference is only 15-20 runs. He (Uthappa) is somebody who likes to bat up the order. Mo has done very well for us at 3. So we have left it open. Whoever gets out, one of you will bat at 3. We have just left it to god how we decide that (smiles),” added the CSK skipper.
“We have to (leave it to god) because we can’t decide. Depends on which opener gets out against which opposition we are playing. I had a conversation with him (Ruturaj) after one of the games. It was around why should an opener bat only till the 10th over. Why not till the 18th over. He is somebody who plays authentic shots. He is a good talent. It’s the full team. It was tough when we didn’t qualify last time. Emotions were high. Credit goes to the support staff and everyone in the team,” concluded Dhoni.
Prithvi Shaw and skipper Rishabh Pant made their presence felt for DC. Shaw smashed 60 runs off 34 deliveries in an innings comprising of seven boundaries and three sixes. Pant accumulated 51 runs from 35 balls with the knock including three fours and two maximums. Shimron Hetmyer provided valuable support, smashing 37 from 24 deliveries in an innings that comprised of three boundaries and a six. None of the other batsmen managed to make much of an impact, with Shikhar Dhawan (7), Shreyas Iyer (1), Axar Patel (10) among those dismissed cheaply. DC posted a total of 172 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs, setting a target of 173 runs for CSK.
