The Chennai Super Kings are set to face off against their arch-rivals, the Mumbai Indians, on Saturday night at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. After a disappointing loss to the Gujarat Titans in their season opener, CSK bounced back with a 12-run victory against the Lucknow Super Giants earlier this week.
The team put up a strong all-round performance in that game, but it was their captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who stole the show with two impressive sixes against Mark Wood in the final over of the innings.
During the CSK innings, Mahendra Singh Dhoni came to bat with only five balls left to play. He played a remarkable knock and hit two consecutive sixes against Mark Wood in the final over of the innings, but got out on the third delivery he faced.
In recent years, Dhoni’s batting reflexes have declined significantly and he has been exclusively playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL since retiring from international cricket in 2020.
Despite his struggles with the bat, Dhoni is still considered an astute tactician and former CSK batter Robin Uthappa recently shared that it was “annoying” to play against him in the tournament.
Uthappa provided some examples from his own experiences, explaining how Dhoni would manipulate the field with his tactics and how he would deliberately slow down the game to frustrate the opposition.
He also mentioned how Dhoni’s ability to read the game and make quick decisions often caught the opposition off-guard.
“When I played against CSK, I used to be very annoyed. I was very irritated with him. (Narrating an incident playing on-screen) He didn’t have a fine leg for Hazlewood, so I knew he will bowl to this angle (outside-off). I tried getting a boundary there (deep point), and got out. He forces you to play in areas wher eyou’re not used to playing,” said the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter and ex MS Dhoni teammate.
According to Robin Uthappa, a former India and CSK keeper-batter, Dhoni is known for his ability to play mind games with his opponents.
He revealed how Dhoni would push his bowlers to take wickets by creating a situation where the bowler feels the need to take the wicket-taking option. Uthappa also mentioned that Dhoni not only forces the batsmen to think differently, but also the bowlers.
