The 2022 Indian Premier League began with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) securing a comprehensive six-wicket victory over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Mumbai. It was a disappointing outing for CSK with the bat but one of the positives for the side was Mahendra Singh Dhoni's performance with the bat. The former CSK captain slammed an unbeaten 50 off just 38 deliveries as he bailed the side out of a troubled position (61/5 in 10.5 overs), eventually steering them to a respectable total (131/5).
Dhoni rolled back the years with some of his shots en route the half-century and former Indian bowler Irfan Pathan lauded the former CSK captain for his “outstanding” knock. During a conversation on Star Sports' post-match show, Pathan also revealed that Dhoni “was not well” a month before joining the CSK camp in Surat.
“It was impressive, especially because he hasn't played any amount of cricket. I met him in Taj Lands before he was going to Surat for the camp (CSK's first camp). I was talking to him and he said, ‘I haven't played anything, I haven't done anything'. He was not well one month before then as well, so he was recovering from some illness,” Pathan revealed.
“He was telling me about his planning, about what he was going to do and how he was going to go about his business. Guys like us, who watch him from the studio want him to finish on a high. And today was a little bit of a sample for that. The kind of innings he played was outstanding. He played against fast bowling really well. Yes, he was struggling at the start against the two mystery spinners, but he managed it really well.”
{{/usCountry}}“He was telling me about his planning, about what he was going to do and how he was going to go about his business. Guys like us, who watch him from the studio want him to finish on a high. And today was a little bit of a sample for that. The kind of innings he played was outstanding. He played against fast bowling really well. Yes, he was struggling at the start against the two mystery spinners, but he managed it really well.”
{{/usCountry}}Pathan added that one cannot have a “fantastic, clean” innings every time and added that the knock from Dhoni will put CSK in good stead, even if they endured a poor start to the season.
“You're not going to have a fantastic, clean innings all the time. That half-century came after 28 innings and that is a big number for a guy like Mahendra SIngh Dhoni. It will hold him very good for the season. The last 2 years, Dhoni couldn't just get a good start. Now, he's got a great start and it is going to be good for the CSK,” said Pathan.