MS Dhoni last played cricket in IPL 2022. For almost a year, he has been absent from the sport, having announced his retirement from international cricket in 2020. Yet, he looked in sublime form in two cameo knocks he played for Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing IPL 2023. On Monday, Dhoni, in the two balls he faced before getting dismissed, scored back-to-back sixes, to complete a huge milestone. However, India batting legend Virender Sehwag made a rather eye-opening remark on the record while anticipating Dhoni's reaction to it.
With the two sixes in CSK's homecoming game against Lucknow Super Giants, Dhoni completed 5000 runs in his IPL career. He became the seventh batter in IPL history to reach the milestone, fifth from India and first ever wicketkeeper-batter to the feat.
After the match, where CSK finally opened their account in IPL 2023 with a win, Sehwag was asked about Dhoni's feat and he opined that like him the CSK captain would have bothered less about the milestone and cared more about the win. However, he added that unlike what cricketers think, fans do tend to remembers these millstones when players retire.
"If you ask MS Dhoni, he will ask what difference it makes, whether he has scored 5000, 3000 or 7000 runs, the important thing is to win the trophy, which he has done. I don't think he goes after or thinks about milestones. I was also like that. Who knows how many runs have been scored but it is true that these numbers are remembered later. When you retire, it is remembered that this player scored so many runs in the IPL," he told Star Sports.
{{/usCountry}}"If you ask MS Dhoni, he will ask what difference it makes, whether he has scored 5000, 3000 or 7000 runs, the important thing is to win the trophy, which he has done. I don't think he goes after or thinks about milestones. I was also like that. Who knows how many runs have been scored but it is true that these numbers are remembered later. When you retire, it is remembered that this player scored so many runs in the IPL," he told Star Sports.
{{/usCountry}}What also made Dhoni's feat special was that all he as never a top-order batter, who whom it is always easier to go ahead in run-ctally charts. Dhoni was always a middle or a lower-middle order batter. Sehwag hence feels that this milestone is unlikely to be ever acheived in IPL by a players who bats at Dhoni's position.
"The expectation is that the top-order batters will score the most runs. MS Dhoni comes in the middle order or lower-middle order and he has scored 5000 runs. No player might be able to score so many runs while playing at that number. He is consistent, scores runs and wins matches for his team. He is a very big player," he said.