The mere sight of Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni walking out with a bat in hand at the MA Chidambaram Stadium is enough for thousands of fans to be brimming with excitement. The situation with respect to enthusiasm escalates to another level when their Thala manages to hit a six to finish an innings.
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Dhoni, who has presented this opportunity to fans several times in the ongoing 16th season of the Indian Premier League, brought back glimpses of his peak yet again against Delhi Capitals tonight. The fact that Dhoni’s daughter Ziva Singh Dhoni was among thousands of fans who were cheering and whistling for the legendary cricketer on Wednesday was a perfect example of icing on the cake.
Coming in to bat at No. 8 in the 17th over, Dhoni found himself in a situation where his team needed him to fire to power them to a challenging total. Dhoni, who scored 20 (9) with the help of a four and two sixes at a strike rate of 222.22, didn’t let down either his teammates or his fans.
Although Dhoni’s four had come off an outside edge, he made it a point to hit a couple of convincing sixes off DC pacer Khaleel Ahmed. It all happened in the penultimate over when Dhoni perfectly read a short slower delivery from the left-arm bowler to dispatch it over deep mid-wicket for a six. Another slower delivery saw the 41-year old player hitting Ahmed down the ground in the same over.
MS Dhoni’s Daughter Ziva Cheers and Whistles for Dad at MA Chidambaram Stadium
Dhoni’s decision to bat first was followed by Super Kings scoring 167/8 in 20 overs. A total which seemed impossible around the halfway mark, it was primarily made possible due to the hosts scoring 39 runs in the last three overs.
Although CSK’s innings was bereft of a quintessential one-man show, as many as six batters scoring in excess of 20 runs was enough for them to post a challenging target for Capitals on a spin-friendly pitch.
