In the 17th over of the run chase as Shivam Dube walked back to the dugout after losing his wicket to Vaibhav Arora, the crowd at MA Chidambaram Stadium went wild. MS Dhoni got a promoted up the order and walked out to bat at no.5 in the run chase with just three more runs needed to win.
The noise was deafening as the crowd cheered for former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Dhoni. The noise levels reached 125 decibel (db) as Dhoni took his stance. In the background, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell covered his ears as he was fielding at deep cover.
The crowd expected Dhoni to finish the game but he took a single against left-arm spinner Anukul Roy. He remained unbeaten for a single from three balls as Ruturaj Gaikwad finished off the match with a boundary. CSK ended KKR’s unbeaten run in the tournament as they chased down the target of 138 with seven wickets in hand and 14 balls to spare.
Gaikwad on finishing run chase alongside Dhoni
Gaikwad got a little nostalgic as he finished the game with Dhoni on the other end.
“Little nostalgic for me. Remember my first fifty in IPL, Mahi bhai was with me and we finished the match in same situation,” he said in the post-match presentation.
The 27-year-old also revealed that he still has support from Dhoni and CSK head coach Stephen Fleming.
“You have Mahi bhai still there, you have Fleming still there,” he added.
Dhoni drops regulation catch
Earlier, Dhoni struggled behind the stumps. He dropped a regulation catch of Russell in the 18th over of the innings. Mustafizur Rahman bowled a slow off-cutter to produce an outside edge but Dhoni was slow to move to his right and dropped the catch as he attempted to take it with one hand.
So far, Dhoni has batted thrice. He remained not out for a single against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as well. His best knock came against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the unsuccessful run chase at Vizag. The 42-year-old smashed three sixes and four fours in his unbeaten 16-ball 37.
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