The CSK skipper said a clear focus on the ball in play and not letting his brain think too much about the situation helped him immensely at the end as he pulled off a nostalgic finish to the Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2021 against DC.
The Chennai Super Kings captain played a vintage end-overs cameo of 18 not out off just six deliveries when his team required 24 from 11 to surpass the opposition’s 172/5 and enter the tournament final.
MS Dhoni’s amazing little knock rolled back the years and gave his fans a big reason to smile after a couple of seasons of dipping returns from his willow.
Learn more 👉 MS Dhoni finishes off in style as CSK inch past DC to enter the final
The legendary wicketkeeper-batter gave an interesting response when he was asked about his knock after the game. Dhoni said while he was assessing the bowlers’ plans, he wasn’t thinking too much at the same time and focused on simply reacting to the ball.
“My innings was a crucial one. Delhi has a very good bowling attack. They exploited the conditions well, so we knew it would be tough.”
“I’ve not done a lot in the tournament, so wanted to look for the ball and see what the bowler can do. I was batting well in the nets. But wasn’t thinking too much, if you think too much while batting then you mess your plans up,”
he stated at the post-match presentation.
Dhoni had made only 96 runs from his 14 innings during the league stage at a strike-rate of just over 100. Not many gave him a chance to finish off the chase when he surprisingly opted to come in ahead of the in-form Ravindra Jadeja.
But the great batter proved his doubters wrong, hitting a six against Avesh Khan to bring the equation down to 13 off six balls and then drowning Tom Curran with the pressure that his brutal hitting and towering presence still exerts on the bowler at the death.
