‘It’s enjoyable when you don't do so well and still win’: MS Dhoni on CSK’s thrilling 2-wicket win against KKR

This was CSK’s sixth consecutive win in the UAE and skipper MS Dhoni believes that the unit needs to make the most of what they had learnt.

MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings pulled off a sensational 2-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on Sunday in Abu Dhabi. The team went through a number of ups and downs during the stiff chase of 172. Openers Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad produced a solid start as they stitched a 74-run opening stand. However, once KKR got the breakthrough, Dhoni & Co. kept losing wickets in regular intervals.

CSK skipper MS Dhoni(iplt20.com)

It was Ravindra Jadeja who fired 22 runs in the penultimate over by Prasidh Krishna, taking CSK closer to victory. But spinner Sunil Narine added more twist in the tale by scalping two wickets – Jadeja and Sam Curran – in the final over. With 1 required off the final ball, Deepak Chahar played the winning shot and took the game home. (IPL 2021: CSK vs KKR Match 38 Highlights)

It was a game that kept the viewers on their toes throughout. This was CSK’s sixth consecutive win in the UAE and skipper MS Dhoni believes that the unit needs to make the most of what they had learnt. Speaking in the post-match presentation, Dhoni said they have a reason to enjoy as they won despite not doing ‘so well’ in the game.

“It’s a nice victory to have. At times you play good cricket and you lose. It is enjoyable when you don't do so well and still win. It was good cricket from both sides, and a pleasure for the spectators. We bowled well in patches. It’s not easy for the fast bowlers. We tried to give them short spells. 170 was a par score, I felt,” Dhoni said.

“When Jadeja was bowling, it was coming on and not stopping. The way we started, KKR deserve some applause for making a game out of it. We were also worried about how the wicket will be. When you keep playing on a wicket, groundsmen sometimes water it more and leave some more grass. The important thing was to make the most of what we had learnt and to come back stronger,” he added.

With this close win, CSK now sit at the top of the points table with 14 points and a net run rate of +1.069, which is the best among all 8 sides. They will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday in Sharjah.