MS Dhoni did not step out to bat in Chennai Super Kings’ first two matches in IPL 2024. The last time he batted was in the IPL 2023 final, where he was dismissed for a duck, implying a year without match practice. Not to forget, he spent the rest of last year nursing back from the knee surgery he had days after the final against Gujarat Titans. Hence, his only batting practice thereafter was the pre-season camp and the training nets before each game. But was there ever a doubt, that his batting prowess would gather rust amid no game time? For the fans it was always a no, but for the bare minimum others, Dhoni shrugged off all concerns with a vintage knock on Sunday against Delhi Capitals, which left Australia legends Brett Lee and Shane Watson gobsmacked.
The game was long gone for Chennai when Dhoni stepped out to bat at No. 8 for Chennai. While the target of 193 did not achievable for the visitors halfway through the chase, despite Khaleel Ahmed reducing them to two down for just seven in the first three overs, Delhi bowlers bounced back again in the middle overs with the likes of Ishant Sharma, Anrich Nortje and Mukesh Kumar executing cutters and wide yorkers, amid Axar Patel slipping in three miserly overs.
Yet, for the thousand CSK fans that had flocked to the venue, converting it almost into a sea of yellow, despite it being an adopted home ground for Delhi Capitals this season, Dhoni put on a show. He smashed four boundaries and three sixes in the 16-ball 37* as Chennai finished with 171 for six.
Left dumbfounded at the Dhoni’ classic in Vizag, Lee, in conversation with Jio Cinema after the match, urged Ruturaj Gaikwad and the CSK team management to send Dhoni higher up the order in the subsequent games rather than at No. 8.
“He was on tonight, he was not rusty. I do want more from him in terms of batting. Get yourself up the order. He is outstanding, his brain is still nice and sharp, CSK please get MS Dhoni up the order,” the former Aussie fast bowler said.
Watson, who was part of the panel, labelled it as the best knock he had seen of Dhoni, with particularly that last-ball six over extra cover leaving him immensely impressed.
“With MS Dhoni in this type of form – this is exactly what you want from him. His power and the skill he has got under pressure when the bowlers are really scrambling to execute, his ability to win a game out of nowhere we have seen so many times through his career. Some of his shots he played tonight, that’s as good a shot I have ever seen him play. The one over cover is one of the harder shots to play, but he is still doing it,” the former Australia all-rounder said.
Despite Dhoni’s special knock that enthralled fans across the globe, CSK succumbed to a 20-run loss, their first defeat in IPL 2024.
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