MS Dhoni almost smashed 26 runs off the last over bowled by Umesh Yadav but in a sensational twist, Royal Challengers Bangalore got the better of Chennai Super Kings.
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MS Dhoni has a template for batting in the death overs. He calculates what are the balls and bowlers to be hit. For MS Dhoni, every ball is vital in a chase. He takes it to the very last ball and goes for it. This template of batting serves him well in ODIs and in some instances in the Indian Premier League. It has often backfired in Twenty20 Internationals. One can say that MS Dhoni’s death-overs batting template has been successful most of the time. It has changed the way how batters approach the end overs.
The point of it being successful or not depends upon the result. If the team loses, questions are raised. If it is successful, it is hailed as a masterstroke. This kind of situation developed for MS Dhoni in the IPL 2019. It was the Kaveri Derby clash between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The M Chinnaswamy stadium was a cauldron with RCB desperate to break the losing streak against CSK. In 2018, MS Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu played knocks for the ages to chase down a total of 200.
Chennai Super Kings chose to bowl on a wicket which was described by MS Dhoni as ‘spongy’. Deepak Chahar removed Virat Kohli cheaply. AB de Villiers and Akshdeep Nath chipped in with aggressive cameos. But, it was Parthiv Patel who made the difference for Royal Challengers Bangalore with a brilliant fifty. He smashed four sixes to give RCB a launchpad. Marcus Stoinis and Moeen Ali gave a good finish as Royal Challengers Bangalore ended on 161/7.
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Chennai Super Kings were blown away by the brilliance of Dale Steyn. The South Africa pacer took the wickets of Shane Watson and Suresh Raina in a hostile spell of bowling. When Umesh Yadav took the wicket of Faf du Plessis and Kedar Jadhav, Chennai Super Kings were reduced to 28/4. Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni shared a vital stand that gave them hope.
Dhoni showed his intentions with a couple of fours but he upped the ante with a six off Stoinis. Rayudu followed up with a six and four off Umesh. But, just as he was looking in good touch, Yuzvendra Chahal got rid of Rayudu for 29. Dhoni continued on his merry ways, hitting Chahal and Steyn for a six apiece.
In the 19th over, MS Dhoni denied three singles after hitting a no-ball six. The move would go on to have a big repercussion on the match. After Dwayne Bravo was dismissed, Chennai Super Kings needed 26 off the last over. Umesh Yadav was going to bowl to Dhoni.
Dhoni pulled a short ball to deep square leg for a boundary as the equation boiled down to 22 off 5 balls. The next ball was deposited out of the ground for a massive six. The third ball was hit to long-off where AB de Villiers took the catch but could not hold on. In the space of three balls, the equation boiled down to 10 off 3 balls. A couple was taken, which meant CSK needed eight runs off two balls.
In a spectacular show of calculated aggression, he blasted another six to deep midwicket as CSK needed two runs off the last ball. Once again, he threatened to pull off something spectacular. In IPL 2016, he had hit 23 runs off Axar Patel in the final over. This included two sixes in the last two balls.
With Dhoni on Beast Mode, Royal Challengers Bangalore needed something spectacular. Umesh Yadav and RCB felt that their losing streak would not end. The bowler ran in and bowled a full-length ball outside off. More importantly, it was an off-cutter. Dhoni missed it and he looked to steal a bye. However, Shardul Thakur did not start running immediately.
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Sensing the situation, Parthiv Patel had taken his right glove off. He dived and reached the ball quickly. Parthiv scored a direct hit and Shardul was run-out. In a dramatic way, Royal Challengers Bangalore had broken the losing streak as they won by one run. On the broader picture, an incident a couple of days ago probably became a premonition for this result.
In the game between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals, R Ashwin Mankaded Jos Buttler for coming out of the crease. The dismissal resulted in a huge uproar, with the bowler insisting that what he did was right. This perhaps influenced non-strikers to not come out of the crease as the ball was delivered. Had Shardul started backing up the moment Umesh bowled, he would have made his crease. But, he did not. Those few inches made the difference between victory and defeat. This was not the first time that Shardul would have heartbreak in IPL 2019. It would be repeated a couple of weeks later. On the grandest stage of them all.
