Turning back the clock for the umpteenth time in franchise cricket's biggest extravaganza, legendary Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni showcased his six-hitting prowess in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against David Warner's Delhi Capitals (DC) on Wednesday. Providing the finishing touches in the death overs, CSK captain Dhoni went bonkers and smoked a couple of handsome sixes at the jam-packed Chepauk.
Orchestrating a six-hitting masterclass at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Dhoni played an entertaining knock to help CSK register a challenging total against Warner's men. Cheering for the charismatic CSK skipper from the stands, Dhoni's wife Sakshi and daughter Ziva were seen celebrating the batting heroics of the former India captain in a viral video. Dhoni's batting exploits soon became the talk of the town on the internet.
Dhoni smashed a four and a six in the 19th over bowled by left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed, who ended up leaking 21 runs. Batting at a strike rate of 222.22, Dhoni played a crucial cameo to make sure CSK posted a match-winning total at Chepauk. Dhoni smoked two sixes and a four in his quickfire knock of 20 off just 9 balls.
The first one was over mid-wicket when Khaleel pitched it short and Dhoni used his strong wrists to pull it into the crowd. Khaleel went full and wide in the next delivery, Dhoni swung hard, got an outside edge and it flew over the short thirdman fielder for a boundary. Khaleel went wide again in the last delivery but missed the yorker. Dhoni was not going to miss out on that opportunity. He smashed it straight over the bowler's head for a flat six.
{{/usCountry}}The first one was over mid-wicket when Khaleel pitched it short and Dhoni used his strong wrists to pull it into the crowd. Khaleel went full and wide in the next delivery, Dhoni swung hard, got an outside edge and it flew over the short thirdman fielder for a boundary. Khaleel went wide again in the last delivery but missed the yorker. Dhoni was not going to miss out on that opportunity. He smashed it straight over the bowler's head for a flat six.
{{/usCountry}}Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja's late flourish lifted CSK to 167/8 in 20 overs.
VIDEO: Dhoni's dazzling hitting against Khaleel Ahmed in DC vs CSK IPL 2023 match brings out amazing reaction from Ziva
Interestingly, none of the CSK batters managed to score more than 30 runs as Shivam Dube (25) and Ambati Rayudu (23) emerged as the leading run-getters for CSK at Chepauk.
For the Delhi Capitals, Mitchell Marsh was the pick of the bowlers (3/18) against the Super Kings. Asked to chase down a competitive 167-run total, Warner's DC side only mustered 140-8 in 20 overs as the visitors lost the match by 27 runs. With the comfortable win over Warner's DC side, CSK have secured the second spot in the IPL 2023 standings.
Veteran all-rounder Jadeja was named the Player of the Match for his all-round show. It turned a lot in the second half. We know that our spinners use a lot more seam than some of the other bowlers. We thought it'll slow down. We didn't know what's a good score. That's why I wanted the bowlers to bowl their best deliveries but not look for wickets every delivery. That's when you start not bowling well. I felt 166-170 was a good score. But as a batting unit, we can do better. The good thing is Moeen and Jaddu got a chance to bat,” Dhoni said after CSK's comfortable win over DC.