IPL 2018

Dhoni's spunk epitomises CSK's scraping ways in IPL 2018

by Gokul Gopal • Last updated on

"God has given me enough power so I don't have to rely on my back a lot. I am used to playing with the injuries. You have to be tough" - Dhoni © BCCI

A last-ball six off MS Dhoni's bat usually means one thing - a victory for his team. Despite argumentations that his finishing powers have been on the wane, Dhoni's approach has not wavered a bit. Be it calculated assaults, pacing the innings or running hard between wickets, Dhoni is a control freak when it comes to seeing a side over the finish line. Something similar was on display in the match against Kings XI Punjab but the end result wasn't one that materialised in Chennai Super Kings' victory.

Dhoni's predisposition towards taking the game as close as possible before leading his team through to ultimate glory is something that has earned him the reputation as being one of the best finishers of the game. While he has struggled a bit in the recent past when it comes to completion of the job, Dhoni's value to the team has seldom been in question, notwithstanding debates that he's now 36 and is no longer the batsman that he was during his prime.

There have been a few instances when he has not been able to take his team over the finish line, including the 28-ball 25 against Kolkata Knight Riders in last week's IPL match that supports the argument. But the benchmark that he has set when it comes to the accomplishment of desired results in the limited-overs format speaks volumes of his calm demeanour that's a gift many cricketers would travel the universe to possess. That gift nearly saw CSK through in Mohali, only for a hampered back to sabotage a job that was almost perfectly done.

A Chris Gayle assault helped KXIP set CSK a daunting target of 198, which became even more tougher after the hosts managed to pick up early wickets and reduce Super Kings to 56 for 3 in the seventh over. Ambati Rayudu played his part in keeping the team afloat, with Dhoni providing solid support from the other end. But the pressure was always on CSK who were playing catch up, and needing 85 off six overs soon after Rayudu's departure meant the game was firmly in favour of KXIP.

But Dhoni remained entrenched at the other end, although a sore back was acting as a hurdle while the required rate was constantly on the rise. Despite a couple of massages from the physio to alleviate his problems with the back, Dhoni was still struggling but that didn't deter him from trying to help CSK scrape ahead. 76 from 30 came down to 55 off the last three overs, and the equation then became 36 off 12 deliveries. A 19-run over off Mohit Sharma and the same number off Andrew Tye in the penultimate over, Dhoni was setting CSK up for another jail break.

After two dramatic victories, CSK were looking good for their third such heist - one that didn't quite happen largely due to Dhoni's troublesome back and Mohit's success in exploiting that chink. By keeping it as far wide and full as possible, Mohit had Dhoni reaching out of his comforts although the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman did manage to find the ropes and bring it down to 11 off three. However, two more wide yorkers followed and took the game out of CSK's grasp, thus handing them their first defeat of 2018.

"The plan was to bowl wide yorkers to MS because he was struggling with his back and we felt like he couldn't reach many. Whether good back or bad back, if you pitch it in his arc he's still going to hit it miles. It was a good learning [experience] for our bowling attack," said a relieved KL Rahul after the game, who went on to explain the rationale behind not using Mujeeb Ur Rahman for an over despite the Afghanistan sensation having done a good job at keeping CSK in check.

"We were thinking that we'll bowl Mujeeb against a new batsman, we were hoping that we would get Mahi bhaiout somewhere in the 14th or the 15th over. Then, whoever came, we were holding him back for Bravo and the other batsmen to follow. He's a mystery bowler, not everyone can pick him and for a new batsman it's even harder. Mahi bhai had already played a couple of overs so we thought we'll maybe hold him back for later. If we somehow managed to get Mahi bhai out then he'll come into the attack," said Rahul.

That the opposition remained on their toes despite being in the driver's seat, was testimony to the Dhoni effect, which didn't quite yield the desired result this time but came as another addition to CSK's spunk. The scraping nature of CSK's opening two victories was seen as something that might define the team during the season - according to head coach Stephen Fleming - and the latest result, albeit a reversal, was an addition to that die-hard attitude.

"I'm proud of the character we're showing. We're hanging in there. I'd love a game where we bowl a team out for 140 and then chase it down. But the competition is very even. We've been scrapping and competing in each of our games, and we almost got across the line today. There's not too much to moan about. We're always looking to get better. There are areas where we can improve, and the tournament is still in its early stages. We have two wins out of three, with injuries and a bit of drama surrounding our home. And we'll probably take that," he said.

A last-ball six didn't make any difference to the eventual result but it did point to a statement of sorts from the CSK skipper that his team, while lacking a home advantage in the days to come and struggling with their personnel, did not lack the fight. His career-best T20 knock, worth 79 off 44 balls, might have gone in vain but the steely resolve, be it with his knock or what he said after the game - "God has given me enough power so I don't have to rely on my back a lot. I am used to playing with the injuries. You have to be tough" - might serve as CSK's elixir for the testing times going forward.

© Cricbuzz

TAGS

RELATED STORIES