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Legendary MS Dhoni once again proved that age is just a number. Dhoni pulled off a quick stumping to send stand-in Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Suryakumar Yadav back to the dugout. In the run chase, he arrived at the perfect time. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) needed just four runs to win. But, Dhoni played two dot balls in the penultimate over and set batter Rachin Ravindra finished the run chase with a six. While the crowd at MA Chidambaram Stadium wanted to see Dhoni finish in style, it was Ravindra who did it. The young CSK opener admitted that it is hard to ignore when there is loud noise to see Dhoni get on strike. However, he was focused on finishing the game for CSK.
"It's difficult to soak it in when you're in the moment, because you're simply focused on winning the game for the team," Ravindra told the reporters after CSK's four-wicket win over MI in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 opener on March 23.
"It's hard to ignore, though. You hear Dhoni come out with the whistles and the noise. It's cool to share the crease with him for the first time. He's a legend of the game, and people love him here. So, it's special.
"All the crowd would have been hoping that I gave him [the strike] and finished the game, and he would have finished it. But it's just about getting the job done. He's finished so many games to CSK, and I'm sure there's plenty more to come."
Ravindra played the anchor role in the run chase. After the 67-run partnership for the second wicket with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, three CSK middle-order batters were dismissed cheaply. Rookie left-arm chinaman bowler Vignesh Puthur struck thrice on his IPL debut. Ravindra and Ravindra Jadeja ensured there was no anti-climax for CSK at home. The Kiwi batter carried his bat. He scored 65 runs from 45 balls, featuring two fours and four sixes.
Ravindra honoured to open for CSK
Ravindra opened the innings ahead of his teammate Devon Conway. Ravindra revealed that head coach Stephen Fleming told him about it only a few days. He feels it is an honour to open for CSK considering all the greats who have taken up the role before.
"A few days ago, I guess, and Flem's [head coach Stephen Fleming] quite good at those comms," Ravindra said.
"It's always an honour to open for CSK knowing the history of it. And you look back at the heroes like the [Michael] Husseys, the [Shane] Watsons, the [Brendon] McCullums, the [Faf] du Plessis, the Rutus [Ruturaj Gaikwad]. I feel like I'm missing a few names there… [Matthew] Haydens, the Conways.
"It's certainly an honour. They have been guys who've done so well. I'm definitely grateful to be in this role. We'll take a game by game and we know it's long tournament. So, we'll just see what happens."
Big clash upcoming
CSK's next match at home is against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 28. The last time the two met was in a must-win contest and RCB knocked CSK out of the playoffs.
