“He is a bit like MS Dhoni,” Tom Moody praises World Cup-winning skipper Pat Cummins after important win against CSK

Pat Cummins restricted CSK to 165, and led his team to victory.

“He is a bit like MS Dhoni,” Tom Moody praises World Cup-winning skipper Pat Cummins after important win against CSK

Pat Cummins and MS Dhoni (Images via BCCI)

Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Chennai Super Kings at home by 6 wickets on 5th April. They chased down a small target of 166 in just 18.1 overs, with Aiden Markram scoring an impressive fifty. 

The match also saw an impressive captaincy performance by Pat Cummins, who restricted the defending champions to only 165. He used his bowlers well on a slow pitch, with all CSK batters struggling to play against them. 

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One thing that surprised many fans was when Cummins handed the new ball to Abhishek Sharma instead of the usual Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Tom Moody praised the decision and compared the pacer to MS Dhoni. 

The one thing I like about Cummins is he is a bit like MS Dhoni. He is prepared to make a decision that most people don’t think about, but makes you feel like ‘Why didn’t I think about that?’ Like the Abhishek Sharma over. It was quite an odd decision when you look at the other options they could have gone with.
Tom Moody to ESPNcricinfo

Moody explained how Cummins could’ve used someone like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is viewed as a new-ball specialist. He also added how Aiden Markram, who bowls off-spin, could’ve been used against southpaw Rachin Ravindra. But he was impressed with how Cummins stuck with his gut and gave the ball to Sharma.

Sharma ended up bowling only one over in the match, giving away seven runs. He enjoyed his time batting, as he smashed the CSK pacers for 37 runs in 12 balls. 

Pat Cummins shocked by how loud fans were when MS Dhoni came in to bat 

During the first innings of the game, MS Dhoni was given a promotion and came into bat at number six against SRH. There were only three balls left and as he walked out, the entire Rajiv Gandhi Stadium cheered as loudly as they could. Pat Cummins was impressed, calling it the loudest he’s ever heard in any stadium 

MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni (Image via BCCI)
When MS walked out, it was as loud as I've ever heard. 
Pat Cummins in the post-match presentation

Dhoni did not make much of an impact, as he scored only 1 off 2. Although he was not involved in any dismissals, he forced Ruturaj Gaikwad to take a review which found Shahbaz Ahmed leg before wicket. 

Cummins, meanwhile, will now captain Sunrisers Hyderabad on 9th April, when they travel to Punjab to play the Kings. It will be the 2nd IPL match hosted at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium, which was built in 2021.

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