Indian off-spinner R Ashwin spoke on how MS Dhoni’s tremendous finishing skills with the bat has taken a back seat and is not spoken about as much as it should. He believes that his ability to finish games have been as important as his captaincy for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL.
MS Dhoni has unarguably been one of the best captains in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The wicketkeeper-batter has led CSK to four titles and he’s one of the main reasons behind them being the most consistent team in the tournament.
Not only with his captaincy, but Dhoni also has many times won the match for his side in crunch situations with his ability to finish off the games. The wicketkeeper-batter has scored 4746 runs in 193 matches at a strike rate of over 130 in the marquee tournament.
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Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, R Ashwin said that people credit MS Dhoni for CSK’s success in IPL. But apart from his captaincy, the wicketkeeper-batter’s finishing skills with the bat is not spoken much.
"Today, people are raving about CSK and their success. A lot is being said about Dhoni's captaincy. However, apart from his captaincy, there is a skill that has taken a back seat over the years, that is not being spoken much about. We always talk about his captaincy, his Midas touch, but his finishing ability with the bat is not spoken about much," R Ashwin said.
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Ashwin also talked about how Dhoni's finishing cameos have 'inspired' CSK in the past and even changed the course of their campaigns.
“In a situation where 60 is needed off 20 balls, he goes to the middle and smashes a couple of sixes and a couple of boundaries. He brings down the equation to l5 from the last over. We have seen this quite a few times in this past. CSK loses that game, the campaign would stutter. I have seen such scenarios.
"In such games, we have seen Dhoni finishing in the last over, that is an inspiration. That lifts the team morale up. Suddenly from the lower half of the table, CSK would have 10 points from 10 games. That will help transform their campaign,” he said.
R Ashwin further mentioned that finishers are important for any team. He cited the example of Mumbai Indians, saying that that’s why they never let go off Kieron Pollard as he closed so many games for them.
"That's why these finishers are important, that's why Mumbai Indians never let go off Kieron Pollard. He has closed so many games for MI. Andre Russell is also another such player," he said.
