Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was in a jolly mood post leading the franchise to its fifth Indian Premier League title against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium tonight. One instance of Dhoni being in a light mood came to the fore when CSK pacer Deepak Chahar requested him for an autograph in the presence of seasoned administrator Rajiv Shukla.
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In a viral video across social media platforms, Dhoni can be seen not thinking a lot before instantly denying Chahar an autograph. With the latter coming up to him with a marker in hand, the legendary player refused to grab it from him. It was only after Chahar insisted a lot that Dhoni signed his jersey but only after pointing out his mistake to Shukla.
MS Dhoni Denies Deepak Chahar An Autograph Due To His Dropped Catches
For those who missed out on watching a fascinating IPL 2023 final, it hadn’t begin in the best of ways for Super Kings despite Dhoni inviting Titans in to bat first after winning the toss.
Bowling with a new ball like he usually does, Chahar leaked 31 runs without picking a wicket in his first three overs. If the same wasn’t enough as a bowler, the 30-year old player also erred as a fielder by dropping a couple of catches in the powerplay. Had it not been for Dhoni taking the mantle in his own hands by stumping Shubman Gill, him and Wriddhiman Saha were looking to bat the visitors out of the match.
MS Dhoni reaction when Deepak Chahar came for autograph #MSDhoni | #CSKvsGT | #IPL2023Finals | #MSDhoni
— Abhi (@abhi_is_online) May 29, 2023
Therefore, one could understand the reason behind Dhoni scolding Chahar even after winning the competition. Dhoni, who had amusingly smacked Chahar on the head before a league match earlier this month, was the first one to provide assurance to him regarding his participation in all IPL 2018 matches for them.
MS Dhoni Credits Batters For Stepping Up
A man known for his honest match assessments irrespective of the result, Dhoni acknowledged that they didn’t play according to their potential in the first innings. In addition to the fielding mistakes, Super Kings’ bowlers were all round the place to concede 214/4 in 20 overs in a big final.
“I don’t think we started in the right way and throughout the game, there were lapses that were produced. When the bowling department didn’t do their work, it was the batting department that took the pressure off them,” Dhoni told Star Sports Network during the post-match presentation ceremony.
Barring Dhoni, who got out for a duck for the fifth time in his IPL career, all other batters from Chennai contributed in a 5-wicket victory. Other than Player of the Match Devon Conway, a last-ball finish wouldn’t have been possible without the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad (26), Shivam Dube (32*), Ajinkya Rahane (27), Ambati Rayudu (19) and Ravindra Jadeja (15*).
