Magic in the air: There’s a buzz when Dhoni walks to the crease.
| Photo Credit: AFP
Chennai Super Kings’ first residence match in 4 years towards Lucknow Super Giants on Monday was all about skipper M.S. Dhoni.
Much to the delight of the followers, the two sixes he hit in the ultimate over of the CSK innings was the defining second. The Super King’s 12 runs additionally proved the profitable margin.
In a storied profession with quite a few titles and information, Dhoni’s second most took him to a different milestone — he grew to become the seventh batter to attain 5,000 runs in the IPL.
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Though there are 4 Indians for firm in the elite membership, Dhoni’s report is particular as he is the solely middle- to lower-order batter in the listing.
Among the different six — Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and A.B. de Villiers — solely the South African has been employed as a floater in the line-up whereas the others have largely performed in the high 4.
Dhoni has principally batted at No. 5 or under for a serious a part of his IPL profession, strolling in with only a few overs remaining. He has, nevertheless, scored at a wholesome strike-rate of 136 whereas averaging practically 40 (39.09).
Ever since his retirement from worldwide cricket in 2020, he has had modest returns over the final three IPLs.
During this era, CSK’s batting depth has additionally allowed the captain to loosen up as the group will not be an excessive amount of depending on him.
At the identical time, Dhoni has made his presence felt, producing moments of magic the means he did in Qualifier 1 towards Delhi Capitals in 2021 (18, 6b, 3×4, 1×6) to seal the chase.
This season, Dhoni has appeared fluent throughout his visits to the crease. In latest occasions, the 41-year-old has been troubled by uncooked tempo and high quality spin.
But the proven fact that he put sufficient wooden towards the likes of Josh Little and Mark Wood — who each can clock above 140 kph — confirmed there’s sufficient left in the tank.
