If it hadn’t been for Dhoni’s unbeaten 37 off 16 balls at number eight, CSK’s first loss of the season would have been by more than 20 runs.
Head coach of the Chennai Super Kings, Stephen Fleming, stated that when it comes to game awareness, few players are better than the legendary MS Dhoni, and this was evident in his first IPL innings at bat this season. Had it not been for Dhoni’s brilliant 37 off 16 balls at number eight, the margin of defeat for CSK’s first loss of the season would have been more than 20 runs. Before hitting a one-handed maximum over mid-wicket in the 20th over of his cameo against the Delhi Capitals, Dhoni hammered a six over extra-cover.
The 42-year-old had knee surgery last year; he last participated in an Indian team match in 2019.
“It was lovely, wasn’t it? Pre season play has seen him play exceptionally well. He is recuperating from a quite severe injury. He’s had excellent batting. At the conclusion of a challenging day, it made us feel good.
“He understands that it’s crucial to finish within 20 runs of the goal in terms of run rate. During Sunday’s post-match press conference, the former captain of New Zealand commented, “The way he played was spectacular.”
Fleming continued, “The outcome today is a fair reflection of the team’s play tonight,” in reference to the first defeat of the campaign. We started each innings slowly for the first six overs, so we were a touch off tonight. When we bowled in the first six, we conceded far too many runs.
“They were excellent when we batted; they applied pressure and made excellent most of the circumstances. David Warner and Rishabh Pant’s brief debuts helped them achieve an excellent score of 191/5.
Khaleel Ahmed, a left-arm pacer, placed CSK behind the eight ball from the start with his explosion with it.
“I had been looking forward to playing for the team for a while. I knew I was getting strong swing when I first started, so I just backed it up and gave the opponent no chance,” Ahmed remarked.
“You get more adept at your game the more you play. The same thing occurred to me after six months of constant play; I learned about my body, my game plans, and how to play through minor aches and pains.”Everything was brought about by the domestic season, which gave me a lot of confidence going into the IPL and has been an amazing feeling.”
