MS Dhoni. | (Image Credits:IPL X)
Chennai Super Kings’ star MS Dhoni yet again came under the scanner after his efforts went in vain as the five-time champions fell short by six runs against the Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. With Dhoni’s match-finishing capabilities coming under question, a section of fans blamed him for his greed and urged the veteran to retire at the earliest, given he is not fully fit.
With Dhoni copping plenty of backlash over batting at number nine against RCB, the legendary keeper-batter came in at seven as the Yellow Army were chasing 183 on Sunday. However, he could not get the job done for the Super Kings and eventually fell for 16 off 11 deliveries as Shimron Hetmyer took a brilliant catch to prevent the ball from going to the boundary in the final over.
At the post-game press conference, head coach Stephen Fleming’s statement sparked further scrutiny on the keeper-batter’s role as a batter in the side. Fleming had claimed that it’s up to the veteran himself at what position he wishes to bat, stating:
“MS judges it. His body is, his knees aren’t what they used to be. And he’s moving okay, but there’s still an attrition aspect to it. He can’t bat 10 overs running full stick. So he will gauge on the day what he can give us. If the game’s in the balance like today, he will go a little bit earlier, and he backs other players when other opportunities are up. So he’s balancing that.”
Here’s how the netizens have reacted to Dhoni’s innings against RR:
“We have had two tough games, but the chat was to forget those games” – Riyan Parag
At the post-match presentation, 23-year-old Riyan Parag addressed their first win of the season by claiming that the bowlers deserve significant credit for the six-run victory.
“Took a lot of time, just two games, but felt really long. We still think we were 20 short. We lost a couple of wickets quickly (in the middle overs). But we bowled really well. We have had two tough games, but the chat was to forget those games, come with a fresh mindset and have a good game collectively.”
