'The first six balls I played could have cost us the game' - MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni burst on to the scene as a dasher. He was among the greatest strikers of the cricket ball during the second half of the first decade. However, with added responsibility of leading India, Dhoni changed his batting approach and started building his innings before cutting loose.

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However, in the last few years, MS Dhoni seems to be struggling to hit those lusty blows consistently. It may be because he doesn’t play regular cricket, or his reflexes might have slowed down. Whatever the reason may be, MS Dhoni is not the same we were used to seeing. However, he is still a valuable addition to CSK with all his leadership experience.

Against Rajasthan Royals, MS Dhoni came into bat at 7 and could only manage 18 runs off 17 balls, definitely not acceptable in this format of the game. Surprisingly, he dead batted his first five deliveries and scored just one of them.

In the post-match presentation, MS Dhoni admitted that his rusty batting approach could have cost CSK the match.

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“Glad we scored 180, I thought we could have got more. The first six balls I played could have cost us in another game,” Dhoni said in the post match presentation.

Despite posting a decent score, Chennai failed to defend it against Delhi Capitals. However, they did manage to pull off a win against Rajasthan Royals. The spinners played a crucial role as Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali shared five wickets between them, paving way for a 45 run win. Dhoni added that his bowlers have got used to the conditions.

“A lot has changed. The way we have prepared, the way we have turned down. The bowlers have been under the pump last year also, so they're used to the conditions.

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He further added that the sticky nature of the wicket is helping the spinners to get the ball turn.

“Even the wet ball was spinning. I don't really mind Jos playing reverse sweep. If the wet ball was turning then the chance of the dry ball turning is high. It was good to have Moeen, it was turning a bit. The wicket became a bit more sticky,” Dhoni said.

Dhoni has got off to a rough start in IPL 2021 and has failed to score many. With age not on his side, MS Dhoni admitted that it is difficult to maintain the same fitness level as some of the youngsters in the team.

“Getting old and being fit - those are two difficult things! When you're playing you don't want anyone to call you unfit. I have to keep up with younger guys, they run a lot, but it's always challenging"

CSK’s next assignment will be against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 21st at the same venue.

Also read why India’s participation in the WTC final is doubtful.

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