Even at 41, and despite the continuous talk about his future in IPL, MS Dhoni has been in the form of his life, redefining age with his blitzkrieg batting and vintage wicketkeeping abilities. Although he has been away from international cricket for almost three years and last played cricket exactly a year back, Dhoni has been striking sixes at will. And with the gloves, he remains lightning quick with stumping and clever with his run-out attempts. But on Sunday, before CSK's emphatic win against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, Dhoni committed a rare blunder with the gloves after Ravindra Jadeja was denied by the zing bails in a dramatic run-out opportunity for CSK.
It happened in the ninth over of KKR's chase of 236 at home when Jadeja was into his very first over. In the final delivery, against Jason Roy, Jadeja dished out a fuller one which the batter punched it straight to the bowler. Roy's partner, Rinku Singh, had meanwhile taken off for a quick single. Jadeja, noticing it, showed great presence of mind, as he collected the ball in time and threw it straight towards the wicket at the non-striker's end between his legs and without looking at the target. The ball did hit the stumps, but Jadeja's run out bid was denied by the stubborn zing bails, which refused to be dislodged.
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Replay had shown that Rinku was outside his crease and on his attempt to make a come back had got his bat stuck in the ground. Jadeja was reduced to mere laughter at the sight.
{{/usCountry}}Replay had shown that Rinku was outside his crease and on his attempt to make a come back had got his bat stuck in the ground. Jadeja was reduced to mere laughter at the sight.
{{/usCountry}}But the action didn't end there. The dramatic run-out chance had a second part. After being denied by the zing bails, Jadeja once again collected the ball and threw it to the other end as Roy had taken off for a single after the all-rounder's failed run-out attempt. Dhoni stayed alert and collected the ball in time, but on attempting to run out Roy, committed a rare error as the ball slipped out of his hands. Roy survived then.
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Roy eventually completed a stunning half-century and so did Rinku Singh but the efforts of driving KKR to the colossal target of 236 went in vain as the hosts succumbed to a 49-run loss. The win proved crucial for Dhoni's men as they jumped to the top of the table with the victory.