IPL 2020: Experience of 300 ODIs pays off, says CSK skipper MS Dhoni

IPL 2020: Experience of 300 ODIs pays off, says CSK skipper MS Dhoni

Lungi Ngidi celebrates a wicket in IPL 2020

MS Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels that his side’s tremendous “experience” has paid off in their five-wicket triumph over defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) opener on Saturday.

CSK’s star batsman Ambati Raydu and Faf Du Plessis scored 115 runs stand for the third wickets while Piyush Chawla was phenomenal with the ball followed by the Sam Curran, Deepak Chahar and Lungi Ngidi.

“The experience pays off, everyone talks about it. You get it only after you play a lot of games. 300 ODIs is a dream for anybody to play; and when you put an XI on the field, you need a good mix of youngsters and experienced players,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

“You need the experienced players to guide the youngsters on and off the field. The young players get 60-70 days with the seniors in the IPL.”

Lungi Ngidi was phenomenal during the first match against Mumbai Indians

Captain Cool also talked about what all the team members learnt from the first match itself.

“We may practice enough but when you go on the field, you need to assess the conditions and give it your best. It took us time, for the bowlers to find the right length on this pitch. Plenty of positives, but still plenty of areas for us to improve.”

“In the second half, there is a bit of movement until the dew sets in. If you don’t lose wickets early, you have the upper hand. These are the learnings. Rayudu had a wonderful partnership with Faf. Most of us are retired, so luckily no injuries as well,” the swashbuckling batsman said.

We need to adapt to the pitches: Rohit Sharma

Rohit-Sharma-Khel-Ratna
Rohit Sharma

Subsequently, MI captain Rohit Sharma was upset that none of his batsmen proved themself in the beginning same like Du Plessis and Rayudu.

“None of our batsmen carried on for us as du Plessis and Rayudu did for CSK. I think we were 85 in the first 10 overs. Credit to the CSK bowlers, they bowled well at the end to pull back things. Something for us to learn,” Rohit said in the post-match presentation.

“Still early days. We all want to start really well; it’s crucial in this tournament where momentum is important. Few things for us to learn from this game; we did make a few mistakes. Hopefully, we’ll rectify those and come out smarter in the next game,” he added.

In addition, Team India opening batsman said that his team needs to adapt the conditions better.

“We need to adapt to the pitches; it got better with the dew coming. You need to hit the gaps and focus on that part of the game. The opposition can tie you down. It’s all about understanding what we need to do,” he said.

Also read: IPL 2020: Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis hand CSK 5-wicket win over MI in the season opener