Dhoni thrills fans with his traditional sensational hits
G Krishnan
Mumbai, April 15
Until the last four deliveries of the Chennai Super Kings innings, eight sixes were hit and the sizable fans of the Chennai franchise appreciated them. But, the cheer grew louder for the last four deliveries of the CSK innings when that man, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, climbed down the stairs of the away team dressing room and into the pitch at the fall of Daryll Mitchell’s wicket.
The noise went over the roof when Dhoni hit three sixes off the first three deliveries he faced, against Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya. Dhoni remained unbeaten on 20, giving the packed Wankhede Stadium crowd their money’s worth.
Dhoni lofted one from outside the off-stump region over long-off off his first ball. Pandya bowled one good over, the 16th of the innings in which he conceded only two runs and took the wicket of his opposite number Ruturaj Gaikwad caught at mid-on, and one bad over previously, conceding 15 in his first (10th of the CSK innings). His third, and the innings’ 20th was to be his and the team’s worst over, conceding 26 runs, 20 by Dhoni and four by Mitchell besides two wides.
The second delivery that Dhoni faced was around middle stump and the 42-year-old dismissed it over wide long-on for MI fielder Md Nabi to just watch it sail over. The third delivery was a full toss that Dhoni swung it into the square leg region and into the crowd, sending the spectators into a frenzy.
The roaring crowd, MI supporters including, waited in anticipation as to what Dhoni would do off his fourth, and the last ball of CSK innings. The wait extended as there was a delay in the ball being returned from the crowd. And, once it did come back into the field of play, Pandya sent down around the off-stump that Dhoni attempted to cut, under-edged behind for two runs.
Dhoni not only showed that his six-hitting abilities have not deserted him and he cleared the boundaries with ease but also ran two runs hard to take CSK to 206 for four after being put in to bat. Dhoni, whose strike rate on Sunday evening was an insane 500%, has batted in four innings in this IPL and is yet to be dismissed even once. His 20 not out added to his scores of 37 not out against Delhi Capitals and 1 not out each against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders.
The former India captain’s four-ball blitz put to shade the captain’s knock of 69 by Ruturaj Gaikwad and unbeaten 60 by Shivam Dube. Barring the decision to send Ajinkya Rahane to open the batting with Rachin Ravindra for the first time this IPL, every other move by CSK in their innings clicked. Rahane fell in the second over, miscuing a pull off Gerald Coetzee for 8. Gaikwad and Ravindra shared 52 for the second wicket, Gaikwad and Dube raising 90 at two runs a ball for the third before the 24-ball 36 for the fourth with Mitchell.
And then the Dhoni show happened with Dube watching the action unfold from the non-striker’s end after finishing his role brilliantly.
Chasing 207, MI needed a blazing start, which was provided by Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma, sharing 70 for the first wicket in seven overs before paceman Matheesha Pathirana dismissed the former in his first ball on comeback and Suryakumar Yadav for a second-ball duck off the third ball. Yadav’s was an outstanding piece of catching at the third man boundary, having control of the catch before crossing the boundary line and regaining the ball after coming back in.
Player-of-the-match Pathirana also removed Hardik Pandya and Romario Shepherd in a brilliant display of controlled fast bowling to finish with his best IPL figures and first four- wicket bag (4-0-28-4).
Sharma, batting from first ball to the last ball, kept MI in the hunt and shared 60 for the third wicket in 38 balls with Tilak Verma, who pierced the field well for his 31. Sharma’s second IPL century (105 not out, 63b, 11×4, 5×6) and first since May 2012 was still not enough to see MI through as he ran out of partners, leaving CSK victors by 20 runs, giving them their first away win in this edition.
