Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell was left in awe of the love and appreciation Chennai Super Kings (CSK) icon MS Dhoni commands from the fans, especially at home in Chepauk. He witnessed the deafening cheer Dhoni got when he walked out to bat in the CSK vs. KKR IPL 2024 match in Chennai on Monday.
In a viral picture doing the rounds on the internet, Russell was seen closing his ears when Dhoni came out to bat during the fag end of CSK’s run-chase at the Chepauk.
The decibel levels at the stadium were deafening when Dhoni marched out on the pitch. Following the match, the 35-year-old Russell shared Venkatesh Iyer's post on his Instagram story and shared a message about Dhoni getting love and respect across the cricket world.
“I easily think this man is the most loved cricketer in the world,” Russell wrote.
Asked to bat on a tricky surface after losing the toss, KKR could only manage 137/9 in 20 overs. Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, and skipper Shreyas Iyer scored 27, 24, and 34, respectively, for them. Russell had a tough time in the match, hitting 2 fours in his run-a-ball 10 before getting out.
In response, Ruturaj Gaikwad led from the front with 67* as CSK chased down the target with 14 balls to spare and 7 wickets in hand.
