Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni has once again proved that why he is known as the best finisher in the world as he almost single-handedly took CSK to chase down a daunting target against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali, but it was a bad back injury that saw the skipper fall just short as KXIP won by 4 runs.
Talking about his injury after the game, Dhoni was at his candid best, he said, “It’s bad; how bad it is, I don’t know. God has given me the power. I don’t need to use the back a lot, the hands can do the job. But overall, we’ll assess how bad it is. I’m quite used to playing with few injuries, whether it is back, fingers, elbow or something else. You have to be tough and get on with the game.”
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However, the actual limelight was stolen by the comeback man Chris Gayle as he announced his arrival to KXIP with a scintillating 63 runs from 33 balls. His magical innings included seven fours, four sixes as the hosts reached a commanding total of 197/7 after their 20 overs.
For CSK, it was the MS Dhoni show as he scored an unbeaten 79 off just 44 balls but for once, failed to take his team past the finish line. It was also his highest ever score in the history of IPL. The men in yellow were never really in the chase as they lost wickets at regular intervals.
Talking about the reasons of loss, Dhoni said, “They bowled very well, Mujeeb made a difference. We can improve in few areas. Chris’ innings in the first innings and Mujeeb’s bowling made a difference. We will be a safe fielding team and not be an exceptional one. We have to be smart while bowling. We want to keep hitting boundaries here and there and that can make a difference. All the games we have been part of were close, so individuals would have learned from that.”
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Mahi also said that the decision to not bring the Caribbean all-rounder Dwayne Bravo up the order was taken by them in the dugout. He said, “Stephen Fleming is in the dugout so he needs to take the decision. We have confidence in Jadeja because he is a left-hander is not easy for the bowlers. This is the time we need to give him the opportunity. If Jadeja can do the job of the floater that would be really good for the team as we have Raina at the top of the order. I will back him as we have not given him many opportunities.”
Here is the video of the interview:
