Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni seems to be at his destructive best in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Dhoni has scored 96 runs from eight innings at a remarkable strike rate of 204.25. He has faced only 47 balls while batting in the lower order, hitting 10 sixes and 3 fours.
During CSK’s clash against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Chepauk on Wednesday (May 10), Dhoni slammed 20 off 9 balls with 1 four and 2 sixes.
After the game, CSK coach Stephen Fleming said Dhoni’s cameo was valuable in the team’s 27-run victory over DC.
“He’s just training a certain way, he knows he’s not gonna bat for a long time. He concentrated more on the last three overs. He’s concentrated on really strong-headed practice,” Fleming said during the post-match press conference.
Notably, Dhoni has been carrying a knee injury that he picked up during the training camp in the lead-up to IPL 2023. In some of the CSK games, he has shown signs of discomfort while running between the wickets.
Opting to bat first, the four-time champions posted 167/8 on the board and then restricted DC to 140/8.
“The wicket was really dry, it kept humming but the captain (MS Dhoni) was certain about batting today,” Fleming said on the Chennai pitch and their decision to bat first.
While CSK’s top-order batters got starts, they failed to convert and register a substantial score.
When asked about the same, Fleming said: “It’s a reflection of the way games now are played, the players play with more high risks and the way you compose an innings is a little bit different so I’m happy with the cameos, its keeps you pushing above par.”
“What you’ve seen today, maybe a 160 wicket was turned into almost a possible 175-10 because we had positive intent through partnerships and guys playing aggressively.”
“Dube, Rayudu and MS in the end. We created enough to get ahead of the game even though we lost seven wickets,” he remarked.
With this victory, CSK strengthened their second spot in the 10-team standings. The four-time champions have 15 points from 12 games and need just one more point from their remaining two fixtures to secure qualification into the IPL 2023 playoffs.
(The Indian Express Inputs)
