MS Dhoni is one of the biggest things to happen to Indian cricket as he with his batting and captaincy completely changed the face of Indian cricket. Under him, India pulled off success in major ICC events such T20 World Cup 2007, World Cup 2011 and Champions Trophy 2013. In 2020, he gave emotional moments to fans of the Indian cricket team by bidding adieu to international cricket. While in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he is still providing his services to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and will continue ahead in the 2023 IPL too.
Till now in the 15 editions of the IPL, he has given 13 seasons to the CSK and has created their image of being the second most successful team in the league with four trophies in their bag. In the next season, he will be seen in action again so the franchise will expect him to win another title with the help of his incredible batting displays and captaincy.
In these years, Dhoni has not only been crucial for the CSK because of his captaincy but also as a batter who plays the role of a finisher. Going through his batting records in the competition, it can be said that he has done justice with his batting by amassing 4978 runs in 234 matches with an average of 39.20. In the last season also, he looked good by notching up 232 runs in 14 games at an average of 33.14. His capability as a finisher is undoubted as in the past, he has played many impactful innings for CSK. Playing the game against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the last season, he again awestruck everyone again by hitting 16 runs calmly in the last over of the game. Discussing about his fabuluous performances from the past, here are-
MS Dhoni's three fabulous knocks in IPL History
3. 75* off 46 deliveries against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2019
In the 12th match of the 2019 edition of the IPL, Chennai Super Kings were facing Rajasthan Royals (RR) at MA Chidambaram Stadium. Winning the toss, the RR captain Ajinkya Rahane decided to field first and his bowlers didn’t disappoint him by clinching three quick wickets of Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, and Kedar Jadhav.
Seeing CSK in trouble, the skipper MS Dhoni promoted himself to number five to stabilise the innings. With Suresh Raina, he had a 61-run stand to bring his team back on track. Later he also stitched a 56-run partnership with Dwayne Bravo to help Super Kings to have complete control over the game.
In the last nine deliveries of the CSK innings, Dhoni showed muscles by hitting 33 runs along with Ravindra Jadeja. With the skipper’s contribution of 75* off 46 deliveries, CSK put 175 on the board. While defending the target, CSK bowlers also looked motivated by their captain’s innings and stopped the RR at the score of 167 to register a thrilling 8-run victory.
2. 84* off 48 deliveries against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2019
Playing at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in match number 39 of the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL), MS Dhoni played one of the memorable knocks for his team. Batting first, Virat Kohli-led RCB put up a fighting total of 160 on the board at the loss of 8 wickets.
Coming out to chase the target, the RCB bowlers pushed the Super Kings into dire trouble by wrapping up their top order. By picking up the wickets of influential batters Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, and Kedar Jadhav, Royal Challengers were looking to have a comprehensive victory but with the arrival of captain Dhoni, everything changed as he, by stitching a crucial 55-run partnership with Ambati Rayudu, brought CSK back into the run chase.
But with Rayudu’s dismissal, CSK again came under pressure as Dhoni from the other end didn’t get support from batters Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, and Shardul Thakur. Looking at the seriousness of the situation, the veteran decided to take the matter into his hands by playing big shots against bowlers. In the last over, he was confronting Umesh Yadav with the intention of scoring 26 to help his team cross the line. By smashing four boundaries in the first five deliveries, he took the match close but in the last delivery, with 2 required off 1 ball, Yadav held his nerves and took the RCB home. Although CSK lost the match by a very little margin, this innings of Dhoni is still one of the memorable moments for all.
1. MS Dhoni’s 54* off 29 deliveries against Punjab Kings in 2010
In the third installment of the IPL in 2010, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won their maiden title by defeating Mumbai Indians (MI) in the final, but during the campaign, there was also a situation when CSK were on the brink of getting knocked out from the tournament. Playing at the round-robin stage of IPL 3, CSK had won only six games out of 13, and in the last match, they had to beat Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala to qualify for the semi-final round.
Winning the toss in a must-win match, CSK invited the Kings to bat first. With the blistering knock of 88 (57) from Shaun Marsh and a quick 44 (27) from Irfan Pathan, the Kings racked up 192 runs with the loss of three wickets. Chasing that mammoth total, the CSK lost the important wickets of Murali Vijay and Matthew Hayden in the first four overs.
Later with Raina’s 46 off 27 and S Badrinath’s rapid 53 off 36, CSK made the game competitive, but it was Dhoni who stole the match from Punjab by notching up a solid 54* off 29 balls. In the last over, he displayed his nerves of steel by hitting Irfan Pathan for 16 runs to take his team home.
from CricTracker https://ift.tt/761DIlN
No comments:
Post a Comment