MS Dhoni first ODI century came against Pakistan at Vizag where he smashed 148. However, the man reached each and every fan's heart with his 183-run knock against Sri Lanka at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur 2005. That remained his best ever ODI score when he retired from all forms of international cricket 15 years later. The man still remembers the knock, much like his fans, fondly and remembered the same after the match against Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday.
He stated that the venue is very very special and close to heart for him as it was due to the knock at this venue he got to spend more time in the India jersey and subsequently cement his place in the national side. "I think my first ODI hundred in Vizag gave me some 10 games, but the 183 over here gave me the chance for one year, so this venue is close to my heart," Dhoni said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Many reckon that IPL 2023 will be the swansong for MS Dhoni and such is the aura of the man that his fans are following him even at the away venues. It has been all yellow at all venues wherever CSK is playing this season and Dhoni understands it. He admitted that the Kolkata fans were giving him a farewell at the Eden Gardens last week and has now conceded that the fans will keep following him right through. "Well, they will be chasing me this year (smiles)," he said.
As far as the match is concerned, Yashasvi Jaiswal played a brilliant knock of 77 runs that helped RR post an above par total of 202 runs batting first. CSK then tried hard but fell short of the target by 32 runs. "It (target) was quite a bit above par. The reason was the first six overs, gave too many runs, but at the same time the pitch was best to bat on at that time. Even when they were finishing the edges kept going for boundaries. They got par+ score and we were not able to stop the runs. I felt his (Pathirana) bowling was very good, not that he bowled badly.
"The scorecard doesn't reflect how well he bowled. Yashasvi batted really well, important to go after the bowlers, took calculated risks. It was slightly easier against our bowlers because we had to assess the right lengths. Even then Yashasvi batted well at the top end and at the end Jurel batted really well," Dhoni said about the loss.
