Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri had nothing but absolute praise for MS Dhoni after the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper masterminded his side's memorable win over arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on Saturday. Ravindra Jadeja's spin wizardry and Ajinkya Rahane's blistering knock paved the way for CSK to register a seven-wicket win over Mumbai in the first Clasico of the new season at the Wankhede Stadium.
Dhoni's decision to pit Mitchell Santner against a struggling Suryakumar Yadav paid CSK rich dividends as the MI batter perished for 1 off 2 balls in the 8th over. Leading the Yellow Brigade in the Clasico against Mumbai, the CSK skipper brought back the 'Dhoni Review System' into the IPL by making the correct DRS call to complete the dismissal of the MI batter. The match umpire, who called Santner’s initial delivery a wide, was forced to overturn his decision after the replays showed the ball making contact with Suryakumar's gloves before Dhoni completed the catch.
Reflecting on CSK's win over MI in the blockbuster contest at Wankhede, former Indian head coach Shastri lauded Dhoni for turning the tide with the spin-bowling duo of Santner and Ravindra Jadeja. “MS Dhoni made excellent use of Santner and Jadeja against Mumbai Indians batters. He knew that on such wickets these two can turn the tide, and that is why he showed more confidence in them,” Shastri told Star Sports.
{{/usCountry}}Reflecting on CSK's win over MI in the blockbuster contest at Wankhede, former Indian head coach Shastri lauded Dhoni for turning the tide with the spin-bowling duo of Santner and Ravindra Jadeja. “MS Dhoni made excellent use of Santner and Jadeja against Mumbai Indians batters. He knew that on such wickets these two can turn the tide, and that is why he showed more confidence in them,” Shastri told Star Sports.
{{/usCountry}}CSK spinner Santner got the better of Suryakumar and Arshad Khan (2) while Jadeja bagged the crucial wickets of Ishan Kishan (32), Cameron Green (12) and Tilak Varma (22) in the high-voltage clash. With CSK’s bowlers ruling the roost, Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians only managed to post a respectable total of 157-8 in 20 overs. In reply, Rahane smashed the fastest half-century of IPL 2023 to make sure CSK defeat MI by 7 wickets.
Jadeja, who was named the Player of the Match for his bowling heroics, was praised by former CSK spinner Harbhajan Singh. "Ravindra Jadeja is a superhero in the true sense. He can turn the match in his team's favour anytime with the ball or the bat. Not everyone can take the catch he took of Cameron Green. He is such a special player," Harbhajan said after CSK's win over MI in the Clasico.