MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni's 200th match for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) turned out to be special as his team put in a commanding performance to thump Punjab Kings by six wickets on Friday night at the Wankhede Stadium.
"[It] makes me feel very old. It has been a very long journey. It started in 2008 -- played in South Africa, UAE, and back home. Never thought Mumbai would be our home," said Dhoni after leading his team to their first win of the 2021 season.
Dhoni also heaped praise on Deepak Chahar, who picked a four-wicket haul to rip through Punjab's top-order. The 39-year-old was also in awe of Moeen Ali, who scored 46 off 31 deliveries and put on 66 runs for the second wicket with Faf du Plessis.
"Chahar is somebody who has developed as a death overs bowler too. If I'm looking to attack and there is movement I try to bowl him out because he gets more out of the pitch. As a bowling unit, we have more resources.
"I was looking to attack, so bowled his four overs and it helps in becoming fit because to bowl 4 successive overs you need to be fit. We wanted Moeen to bat high because we wanted to make the best use of the resources we have. He's a very good timer of the ball, plays authentic shots," said Dhoni.
Dhoni has led CSK to three IPL title (2010, 2011 and 2018). The game against the Punjab franchise on Friday was the former India captain's 176th match for CSK in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He has also played 24 matches for CSK in the now-defunct Champions League T20 tournament.
Dhoni also played 30 IPL matches for Pune Supergiant during 2016 and 2017 when the CSK franchise was banned following the spot-fixing scandal.
Dhoni, who has 4632 runs in IPL, has scored 4058 runs for CSK. He is eighth in the list of run-getters in IPL and is the most successful wicket-keeper in the league with 148 dismissals.
While his team had a disappointing outing the last time, finishing seventh in the table, he is hoping to lead the team to the playoffs this time.
(With IANS Inputs)
