MS Dhoni reached a significant height in the twilight zone of his career during the IPL 2022 clash between LSG and CSK on Thursday.
Follow Us
It is hard to read MS Dhoni’s mind. While the speculations on IPL 2022 being the last season for the former India and CSK captain are rife, ignited by his call to quit captaincy role, only the veteran wicket keeper-batter knows what is next for him.
However, Dhoni remains an enigma, that cannot be ignored. He not only inspires youngsters through his presence on the pitch but even the greatest of the games like Virat Kohli seek advice from him.
The 2011 World Cup winning captain is no stranger to success. In fact, the success story of the boy from Ranchi, who grew up to be one most successful captains across the format can be seen as a case study for youngsters. He led India to three titles — 2007 ICC World Twenty20, 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy — besides building CSK as one of the most consistent and successful franchises with four IPL titles to their name.
READ MORE: IPL 2022 LSG vs CSK: Evin Lewis fires Lucknow Super Giants to six-wicket victory
Dhoni came under severe scrutiny for his poor run of form and strike rate as a finisher at the 2019 World Cup. He announced his retirement from all formats of the game on India’s 74th Independence Day but decided to continue serving CSK in the lucrative tournament.
His struggle to get among runs was visible in the following season. He notched up the scores of an unbeaten 18, 12, 18, 14 not out and 1 in the last five matches of IPL 2021 that he appeared in.
However, after letting go of the CSK captaincy, Dhoni has looked more content in his approach since the beginning of IPL 2022. He notched up an unbeaten 50 in the IPL 2022 opener against KKR and then scored an unbeaten 16 against LSG on Thursday. It shows that the veteran is keen to add a few more runs to his T20 tally and silence his critics.
The wicket keeper-batter, in the process, achieved a significant milestone with his knock against LSG as he reached 7000 runs in T20 cricket. He joined the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan and Robin Uthappa who are the other five Indian batters to achieve the landmark in T20 cricket.
