Legendary MS Dhoni once again proved that age is just a number. Dhoni pulled off a quick stumping to send stand-in Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Suryakumar Yadav back to the dugout. In the run chase, he arrived at the perfect time. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) needed just four runs to win. But, Dhoni played two dot balls in the penultimate over and set batter Rachin Ravindra finished the run chase with a six. While the crowd at MA Chidambaram Stadium wanted to see Dhoni finish in style, it was Ravindra who did it. The young CSK opener admitted that it is hard to ignore when there is loud noise to see Dhoni get on strike. However, he was focused on finishing the game for CSK.
Ravindra played the anchor role in the run chase. After the 67-run partnership for the second wicket with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, three CSK middle-order batters were dismissed cheaply. Rookie left-arm chinaman bowler Vignesh Puthur struck thrice on his IPL debut. Ravindra and Ravindra Jadeja ensured there was no anti-climax for CSK at home. The Kiwi batter carried his bat. He scored 65 runs from 45 balls, featuring two fours and four sixes.
Ravindra opened the innings ahead of his teammate Devon Conway. Ravindra revealed that head coach Stephen Fleming told him about it only a few days. He feels it is an honour to open for CSK considering all the greats who have taken up the role before.
CSK’s next match at home is against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 28. The last time the two met was in a must-win contest and RCB knocked CSK out of the playoffs.