Happy Birthday MS Dhoni: Hailing from a small town in Ranchi, Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni was destined to become the modern great of world cricket. The former India captain had an illustrious career winning all the major ICC trophies. He is considered the greatest finisher of the game and has single-handedly fixed matches for his team.
Dhoni is responsible for the popularity of Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. The wicketkeeper-batsman captained the franchise for 14 years before passing the baton to Ravindra Jadeja in 2022. He led CSK to four IPL and two Champions League trophies. His wonderful blend of aggressive batting and restrained mindset has helped him emerge as a hero in the face of adversity.
On his 41st birthday, let’s take a look at some of his best batting performances for CSK:
75* runs in 46 balls against Rajasthan Royals, 2019
MS Dhoni’s list of top 5 innings begins with a blistering knock against Rajasthan Royals in 2019. CSK scored 175/5 in their allotted 20 overs in the first league match.
Dhoni smashed the RR bowlers and remained unbeaten with a knock of 75 off 46 balls, which included four sixes and four fours, including a thunderbolt of 163. RR were restricted to 167/8 by the CSK bowlers when it came down to the chase. CSK won the game by 8 runs and Dhoni was awarded the man of the match.
70* off 30 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2018
Batting first, RCB set a difficult target of 206 runs for CSK. The team were once in trouble at 74 for four, but not before Dhoni launched a devastating counter-attack with the help of Ambati Rayudu. From the moment he put on guard, Dhoni was in an aggressive mindset.
The CSK skipper penalized loose balls and anything that over-pitched, leaving the ball flying all over the place. He scored 70 off 34 balls and saw CSK with only two balls to spare.
54* in 29 balls against Kings XI Punjab, 2010
MS Dhoni’s heroism in the final over helped Chennai Super Kings win by 6 wickets over Kings XI Punjab. Batting first, Punjab scored 192 runs thanks to the brilliant innings of Shaun Marsh. In reply, CSK were in trouble as they kept on losing wickets.
The captain was at the crease and the pressure was on him. 16 runs to get in the final over and Irfan Pathan was in charge of the ball. Captain Cool ended the match in style with two balls to spare. His blistering knock of 54 off 29 helped CSI to chase down KXIP’s 193.
51* in 26 balls against Mumbai Indians, 2013
The rivalry between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians in IPL is well known. Both the clubs have participated in some of the most entertaining IPL matches. In the fifth match of the IPL 2013 season, CSK bowlers restricted Rohit Sharma’s team to 148 runs. But the CSK batting lineup once again failed to live up to the expectations. He lost five wickets for just 66 runs.
It was Dhoni who kept his side in the game till the last over. Before falling to Munaf Patel, the 39-year-old played a brilliant innings of 51 runs off 26 balls. The game was eventually won by Mumbai Indians by 9 runs, but the CSK skipper won the hearts of the visitors and walked off the field with his head held high.
84* runs in 48 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2019
The showdown between these two supergiants of the Indian Premier League is known to grab a lot of attention. Batting first, Royal Challengers Bangalore scored 161 runs. Chasing a medium total, CSK had a poor start as RCB’s Dale Steyn sent Shane Watson and Suresh Raina back to the pavilion. Captain Cool stepped up for CSK and opened his innings with caution.
When Dhoni was batting on 60, it proved difficult for other Chennai batsmen to cross even the 30-run barrier. The captain then decided to take matters into his own hands and displayed his big hitting ability, slamming the RCB bowlers to register their best T20I score and becoming the first Indian player to hit 200 sixes in IPL history. CSK lost to RCB by the narrowest margin but Dhoni’s innings went down in the annals of IPL history.
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