“Thala is back” – Twitterati goes berserk as MS Dhoni scores an unbeaten half-century IPL 2022 opener
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MS Dhoni
It was his first appearance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since the 2017 season when he was a member of the Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS). And MS Dhoni made it memorable for both his fans and himself by rewinding the clock with some signature shots. The veteran batsman hit his 24th half-century in the cash-rich league, remaining unbeaten on 50 off 38 deliveries.
KKR had the defending champions on the ropes after opting to bowl first and picking up early wickets. CSK found themselves in a hole at 61/5 in the 11th over after a couple of bad shots and a run-out. This is when MS Dhoni came out to bat, despite the fact that new skipper Ravindra Jadeja was feeling the pressure of captaincy in his first game.
Some calm overs followed as the duo attempted to extend the innings. Furthermore, with three overs of spinners remaining, MS Dhoni was always going to play them out because he couldn’t decide between Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine. When their overs were done, it was all about the 40-year-old in the final three overs.
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MS Dhoni was 15 out of 25 at one point.
With three overs remaining, CSK had only 84 runs on the board and clearly needed the vintage MS Dhoni to appear in the middle. The man was primed for a spectacular finish, and the addition of pacers to the attack only aided him. Off the first ball of the 18th over, a fierce cut sent the ball racing away to the boundary, and his arms came into play.
The momentum had once again shifted back to CSK when fours came in the same over. MS Dhoni was in his element and the death overs once again proved fruitful for CSK. Shivam Mavi started the penultimate over well but lost his way at the back end bowling a waist-high full toss and ended up conceding 15 runs.
It was then MS Dhoni’s turn to bat and Andre Russell was given the last over. The finisher in the veteran batsman made sure to finish the job off. When Dhoni got a boundary off the third ball of the over, he played a pull shot with skill into the gap, which was followed by the shot of the match.
Russell missed the yorker only for the 40-year-old youngster to stay deep in the crease and convert it into a full ball. The strong wrists came into play and a sensational flick made the long-on just a spectator. A single came off the next delivery and in no time, MS Dhoni had reached his fifty which was not even in sight when the 18th over began.
CSK had added 47 runs in the last three overs and none other than Dhoni was at the centre stage of their revival. However, it remains to be seen if the score of 131 runs will be enough for CSK to defend.
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Shubh Dinesh Jain
(211 Articles Published)